Texas Coastal Habitat Values

The USFWS Texas Coastal Program is dedicated to working with others to protect and restore nationally important coastal habitats in Texas to benefit fish, wildlife and people.  Texas’ natural coastal habitats – wetlands, prairies and forests – provide many economic, recreational, educational, ecological and aesthetic values, for they can play an important role in:

Although it is probably impossible to accurately and comprehensively document all of the values of protecting natural resources of the Texas coast, a few facts and figures illustrate the direct link between a healthy natural environment, a healthy economy, and our quality of life. Tourism, for example, is Texas’ third largest industry. In 1993, tourism along the Texas coast provided 103,600 jobs and added $5.4 billion to the state economy. Nature-based tourism is the fastest-growing segment of the industry, and Texas is the nation’s #1 destination for birdwatchers. 

Finally, shorelines protected by natural vegetation effectively armor coastlines and minimize erosion from hurricane storm surges, winter storms and large ship wakes. Protecting or restoring natural shorelines can save millions of dollars by minimizing or eliminating rebuilding and repair costs after storms. Clearly, protecting and restoring our coastal habitats through collective efforts of conservation-minded partners, makes economic, recreational and ecological sense – for fish, wildlife and people.

Return to Home Page