Why economic valuation of Hima can be useful

Richard ThomasELD Scientific Coordinator at

United Nations University-Institute for Water, Health & Environment

ChallengeHow to:1. Encourage investments in Hima-type systems for rangelands2. Value rangelands properly3. Devise schemes to reward improvement & maintenance of Ecosystem Services

Categorisation of ecosystems services:Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework

The economic value of an ecosystem is the sum of economic values derived from individual services flows

– Provisioning services, e.g. food, timber and freshwater supply

– Regulating services, e.g. pollution reduction, water flow regulation

– Cultural services, e.g. aesthetic and spiritual values

– Supporting services, e.g. soil formation and nutrient cycling*

Total Economic Valueof Land And Land-based Services

Use Value Non-use Value

DirectUse Value

IndirectUse Value

Stewardship Value

Bequest Value

Existence Value

OptionValue

Food, fibres and timber production

(provisioning);Carbon storage

(regulating);Tourism,

recreational hunting (cultural)

Pollination (provisioning);

Watershed protection, flood

attenuation, pollution

assimilation (regulating and

cultural); Nutrient cycling,

micro-climate (supporting)

Premium from use of biodiversity

resources by pharmaceutical industry in the

future (provisioning);

Area that becomes of

recreational value (cultural);

Area used for waste recycling

(regulating)

Biodiversity hotspot, symbolic species, eg blue

whale, tiger, panda, mountain gorillas (cultural)

Land passed onto our children

(cultural)

Land maintained in good working

conditions for both humans and their surrounding

ecosystems

State of knowledge: Ecosystems

all ecosystems

in a given geogr

aphical area

arid and

semi-arid

farmland

coastal desert dunes

non-arid

farmland

floodplains

forests and

woodlands (non

tropical)

freshwater and

water bodies

grasslands

and pastur

es

hills

mountains and

highlands and

uplands

plains rangelands

tropical

forests

urban valleys

wetlands

For each ecosystem, there is at least one study that can act as a starting point

Num

ber o

f res

ourc

es

Benefits of investing in Ecosystem restorationSource: de Groot et al 2013

Mean TEV of grasslands = $2871/ha

Rangelands contribute to global issues

1. Climate change2. Desertification – loss of productivity3. Wind erosion and sand storms4. Biodiversity5. Water regulation & storage

Scale Environmental services supplied Benefits Beneficiaries/

demanders Monitoring

Global

Increased carbon sequestration

Enhanced plant and animal biodiversity

Dust storm reductions

Mitigation of climate change

Enhanced resource base for future generation

Improved air quality and health, decreased maintenance costs in infrastructure, industry, and damages in agricultural production systems

International community/countries, private companies

Conservation groups, tourism industry, private companies

Urban populations, tourism industry, government

Soil sampling, eddy flux towers, static chambers, vegetation cover by remote sensing

Survey of key eco-indicators

Remote sensing

National

Increased aquifer recharge

Flood reduction

Increased water availability

Decreased damage of infrastructure (roads, reservoirs) , crops, and houses

Water users

State (public infrastructure), utility companies, downstream population

Groundwater levels, groundwater use

Stage heights at hydraulic structures, reservoir siltation, infrastructure damages

Local

Increased water productivity

Decrease of soil reduction

Increase dplant biomass

Conserve livestock productivity

Local herders Biomass survey, soil sampling, stocking rate monitoring

Scale Environmental services supplied Benefits Beneficiaries/

demanders Monitoring

Global

Increased carbon sequestration

Enhanced plant and animal biodiversity

Dust storm reductions

Mitigation of climate change

Enhanced resource base for future generation

Improved air quality and health, decreased maintenance costs in infrastructure, industry, and damages in agricultural production systems

International community/countries private companies

Conservation groups, tourism industry, private companies

Urban populations, tourism industry, government

Soil sampling, eddy flux towers, static chambers, vegetation cover by remote sensing

Survey of key eco-indicators

Remote sensing

National

Increased aquifer recharge

Flood reduction

Increased water availability

Decreased damage of infrastructure (roads, reservoirs) , crops, and houses

Water users

State (public infrastructure), utility companies, downstream population

Groundwater levels, groundwater use

Stage heights at hydraulic structures, reservoir siltation, infrastructure damages

Local

Increased water productivity

Decrease of soil reduction

Increased plant biomass

Conserve livestock productivity Local herders Biomass survey, soil sampling, stocking rate monitoring

Scale Environmental services supplied Benefits Beneficiaries/

demanders Monitoring

Increased carbon sequestration

Enhanced plant and animal biodiversity

Mitigation of climate change

Enhanced resource base for future generation

International community/countries, private companies

Conservation groups, tourism industry, private companies

Soil sampling, eddy flux towers, static chambers, vegetation cover by remote sensing

Survey of key eco-indicators

GlobalDust storm reductions Improved air quality

and health, decreased maintenance costs in infrastructure, industry, and damages in agricultural production systems

Urban populations, tourism industry, government

Remote sensing

National

Increased aquifer recharge

Flood reduction

Increased water availability

Decreased damage of infrastructure (roads, reservoirs) , crops, and houses

Water users

State (public infrastructure), utility companies, downstream population

Groundwater levels, groundwater use

Stage heights at hydraulic structures, reservoir siltation, infrastructure damages

Local

Increased water productivity

Decrease of soil reduction

Increased plant biomass

Conserve livestock productivity Local herders Biomass survey, soil sampling, stocking rate monitoring

Scale Environmental services supplied Benefits Beneficiaries/

demanders Monitoring

Global

Increased carbon sequestration

Enhanced plant and animal biodiversity

Dust storm reductions

Mitigation of climate change

Enhanced resource base for future generation

Improved air quality and health, decreased maintenance costs in infrastructure, industry, and damages in agricultural production systems

International community/countries, private companies

Conservation groups, tourism industry, private companies

Urban populations, tourism industry, government

Soil sampling, eddy flux towers, static chambers, vegetation cover by remote sensing

Survey of key eco-indicators

Remote sensing

National

Increased aquifer recharge

Flood reduction

Increased water availability

Decreased damage of infrastructure (roads, reservoirs) , crops, and houses

Water users

State (public infrastructure), utility companies, downstream population

Groundwater levels, groundwater use

Stage heights at hydraulic structures, reservoir siltation, infrastructure damages

Local

Increased water productivity

Decrease of soil degradation

Increased plant biomass

Conserve livestock productivityIncreased/maintainedbiodiversity

Local herders Biomass survey, soil sampling, stocking rate monitoring

Technical options for preventing degradation & restoring rangelands

• Controlled grazing via improved integrated range-livestock systems

• Water & erosion control• Soil fertility improvement• Plant introductions and seeding (Cactus, Atriplex, Buffel

grass, Salsola, Halaxyon)• Reforestation

Hunshandake Sandland Project,

China Replacing ruminants with chickens

the Inner Mongolia Government agreed to provide an amount of 100 million CHY (16 million US) to study the scientific and social key problems in an eco-husbandry regionMeanwhile, CAS has approved a project amounted 9 million CHY (1.4 million US) to explore the technological issues in limiting the construction of the largest Eco-husbandry Industry Special Region

Challenges

• Land tenure & access• Schemes that fit the local financial

(opportunity costs), production & risk management strategies

• Institutional issues for collective rangeland management

• Reduced search & negotiation, monitoring & enforcement costs

Conclusions• A TEV approach can raise awareness & investment in Hima• Success stories in participatory management• Rangelands can contribute to solutions of local to global

problems• Himas can act as innovation platforms for ecological

sustainability, social fairness and economic growth