An Update on the Economic Role of Hawaii’s Landscape Services

Abstract

While tourism replaced plantation agriculture as a mainstay of Hawaii’s economy, landscape services became increasingly more important relative to agricultural production activities. The evidence presented here confirms that a developed economy increases spending on plants grown for aesthetic purposes. As development progresses in Hawaii and around the world, more interest in landscapes for the purposes of enjoyment and safety is expected. Thus, agriculture services for the purposes of designing, installing, and maintaining landscapes are expected to become more integrated into various sectors of the economy, making an analysis of the economic value of landscape services more difficult.