Favretto, N orcid.org/0000-0002-2100-6706, Luedeling, E, Stringer, LC orcid.org/0000-0003-0017-1654 et al. (1 more author) (2017) Valuing Ecosystem Services in Semi-arid Rangelands through Stochastic Simulation. Land Degradation and Development, 28 (1). pp. 65-73. ISSN 1085-3278
Abstract
Ecosystem services and economic returns from semi-arid rangelands are threatened by land degradation. Policies to improve ecosystem service delivery often fail to consider uncertainty in economic returns gained through different land uses and management practices. We apply an analytical framework using stochastic simulation to estimate the range of potential monetary outcomes of rangeland ecosystem services under different land uses, including consideration of the uncertainty and variability of model parameters. We assess monetary and non-monetary dimensions, including those ecosystem services with uncertain and missing information, for communal rangelands, commercial ranches, game farms and Wildlife Management Areas in southern Kgalagadi District, Botswana. Public land uses (communal grazing areas and protected conservation land in Wildlife Management Areas) provide higher economic value than private land uses (commercial ranches and game farms), despite private land uses being more profitable in their returns from meat production. Communal rangelands and protected areas are important for a broader range of ecosystem services (cultural/spiritual services, recreation, firewood, construction material and wild food), which play a key role in sustaining the livelihoods of the largest share of society. The full range of ecosystem services should therefore be considered in economic assessments, while policies targeting sustainable land management should value and support their provision and utilisation. By forecasting the range of plausible ecosystem values of different rangeland land uses in monetary terms, our analysis provides policymakers with a tool to assess outcomes of land use and management decisions and policies.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: 'Favretto, N., Luedeling, E., Stringer, L. C., and Dougill, A. J. (2017) Valuing Ecosystem Services in Semi-arid Rangelands through Stochastic Simulation. Land Degrad. Develop., 28: 65–73. doi: 10.1002/ldr.2590', which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2590. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
Keywords: | Monte Carlo simulation; Botswana Kalahari; economic valuation; land degradation; sustainable land management |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 02 Nov 2016 15:43 |
Last Modified: | 10 Aug 2017 04:28 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2590 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | John Wiley and Sons |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/ldr.2590 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:106837 |