Alaska's Ecosystems Worth Billions to State and Nation.

• Position: Brief Article

Alaska's environment provides six times more direct jobs than the petroleum industry and more than twice the employment opportunities of the petroleum, mining and construction industries combined, according to a study released by the Alaska Conservation Foundation and prepared by the Institute for Social and Economic Research.

The study, conducted at the University of Alaska's ISER under the direction of Dr. Steve Colt, quantifies the overall value generated by Alaska's sustainable natural environment in terms of jobs, income and several other economic measures.

According to the study, 26 percent of all jobs in Alaska, and...