Point Blue selects Greene Economics to assess return on investment for statewide habitat restoration program

Partners meeting at a Roots Project in San Benito County. Photo: Karminder Brown

Measuring the ecological, economic, and community value of habitat restoration across California working lands

Point Blue Conservation Science has selected Greene Economics to lead a comprehensive return on investment (ROI) evaluation of its Roots Program, which delivers wildlife-friendly, community-centered restoration projects on farms, ranches, school grounds, and other working landscapes across California. The study will establish a cost-benefit framework to guide program growth and fundraising.

Supported by a $26 million block grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the Roots Program draws on Point Blue’s STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) program, Working Lands Partner Biologists, and Innovation Group to implement more than 100 projects across three dozen counties and advance an ambitious vision to raise the visibility of California’s working landscapes as important spaces for conservation. 

To increase access to conservation resources and widen the conservation umbrella, the program prioritizes underserved communities, beginning farmers and ranchers, and tribal partners often overlooked by traditional conservation funding.

“Point Blue is a science-based organization that works directly with landowners, communities, and students across California,” said Sabine Postma, senior research associate at Greene Economics. “Their participatory approach brings people into restoration projects with tangible outcomes and accountability.”

Learn more about Point Blue Conservation Science.

Greene Economics will analyze program budgets, reports, and outcomes to build an ROI framework that quantifies financial, ecological, and social returns. The evaluation will calculate the value created per dollar invested and equip Point Blue with materials that demonstrate program impact and inform program growth.

“We’re conducting a social and economic return on investment analysis across all Roots projects,” Postma said. “This analysis will show the full value of habitat restoration while highlighting education, access to open spaces, and recreation opportunities for local communities and students.”

Experience with conservation program evaluation

Greene Economics specializes in environmental economics and program evaluation for conservation initiatives.

A five-year strategic review for the King Conservation District spanning 35 municipalities produced findings that supported an $18 million revenue increase and moved four pilot initiatives into sustained operations. For the U.S. Forest Service, Greene Economics assessed the Forest Legacy Program’s effectiveness in protecting working forests across multiple states by synthesizing data from hundreds of projects.

The firm developed a performance framework for Spokane’s University District, establishing baseline conditions and targets for twelve ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, biodiversity, pollination, and stormwater management. Greene Economics also created ecosystem service inventories and valuations across nearly three million acres for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, quantifying carbon sequestration, water quality, habitat preservation, and flood control benefits.

Greene Economics will present findings to Point Blue leadership following completion of the final report in July 2026.

Learn more about Greene Economics' work in environmental and natural resource economics, including ecosystem service valuation, program evaluation, and conservation impact assessment.

View the Roots Program storymap here.