Journal of Range and Watershed Managment

Economic valuation of rangelands' soil conservation function, Case of Mid-Taleghan rangelands

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Seyed Alireza Mousavi 1
Hossein Arzani 2
Gholamali Sharzei 3
Hossein Azarnivand 2
Mahdi Farahpour 4
Stephani Engel 5
Esmail Alizadeh 6
Aliakbar Nazari-Samani 2

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran

2 Member of Scientific Staff, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

4 Associate Professor, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran

5 Professorship of Environmental Decisions and Economics, ETH, Switzerland

6 PhD Candidate, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jrwm.2014.51835
Abstract
Soil conservation is one of the most important regulative functions of natural ecosystems. This function is of high importance in Taleghan Watershed due to high erosion quantity and sediment accumulation in Taleghan Dam reservoir. Soil loss reduction, sedimentation control and fertility conservation were considered as different aspects of soil conservation. Effect of land use and vegetation cover on soil conservation was studied by overlaying soil erosion map with other environmental data layers. Abandoned rainfed lands with low cover were considered as benchmark to evaluate the role of rangeland vegetation cover in soil conservation. Economic value of soil loss reduction function was estimated using opportunity cost approach and the benefits of rainfed agriculture. Economic value of sedimentation control also was calculated considering SDR ratio and avoided cost approach. Soil fertility conservation was quantified regarding the volume of soil conserved and nutrient content of soils of the study area. Economic value of this function was estimated using replacement cost approach. Results show that Mid-Taleghan rangelands conserve 60545 cubic meters of soil per annum. Annual economic value of soil loss reduction, sedimentation control and fertility conservation functions were estimated about 6262, 25287 and 8626 US dollars, respectively. These functions are just some limited aspects of rangeland functions and economic valuation of these functions could effectively be utilized for conservation of rangeland ecosystems.
 
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Keywords

Economic valuation
rangeland Cover
sedimentation
Soil erosion
Mid-Taleghan
Journal of Range and Watershed Managment
Volume 67, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
Summer 2014
Pages 317-331

  • Receive Date 13 July 2011
  • Revise Date 22 June 2014
  • Accept Date 17 October 2011
  • Publish Date 22 June 2014

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