A valuation of ecological services in the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin with an emphasis on Canada

An estimated 35 million people rely on the Great Lakes for safe drinking water, and millions depend on healthy fish and wildlife safe for consumption. The authors note that the natural capital of the Great Lakes is worth tens of billions of dollars each year and that investing in the protection of this resource is ethically and financially imperative. The economic value of the Great Lakes and its value to the health of the people and the economy in Ontario, Canada, are described in this article. The authors provide a credible assessment of the contributions made by the Great Lakes to the local, provincial, regional, and national economies of Canada and to the Great Lakes region of the United States. The major uses of the Great Lakes for which economic value can be calculated either directly or indirectly are characterized, and the different benefits ascribable to different aspects of the Great Lakes economy that rely on water quality and water quantity are described.