A notion about wilderness is that it imposes economic costs on local communities since the 'jobs vs. environment' argument suggests that there is an intrinsic tradeoff between economic prosperity and strong environmental protection. Actually, wilderness areas protect the environment have a positive effect on local economics as they benefit local businesses and increase property values, create revenue through recreation dollars, and provide therapeutic benefits.
First, a lot of studies done in the recent past show that rural areas with natural resource amenities like wilderness experience higher regional economic growth rates. For instance, recent studies of western counties and states in the U.S have shown that population, income, and employment growth increased as the percentage of wilderness increased. Also, the West’s popular national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, and other public lands offer its growing high-tech and services industries a competitive advantage. From sales to service, the economic benefits of wilderness influence every avenue of business that relies on this resource. Besides, more and more people migrate to live in counties with wilderness
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For example, a recent study with respect to the American economy found that the outdoor recreation economy (which includes revenues and expenditures related to activities like hiking, climbing, camping, paddling, bicycling, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and snow sports) supports 6.1 million jobs, generates $80 billion in annual tax revenue, and results in $646 million in annual spending, making it one of America's most important employment sectors. Also, Wilderness is not just limited to its recreational and scenic importance but it also provide education value. For instance, a trip to the breathtaking Yellowstone National Park will teach us about the abundant flora and fauna and its geothermal