An Economic Valuation of Large-scale rangeland restoration
through the HIMA system within the Zarqa river basin in Jordan.
Vanja Westerberg
Under the ELD initiative
Rationaleo Why do an economic valuation of the HIMA system?
o We know there is a case for change…
o But we need to ground that case on the basis of rigerous assessments.
o Translated into a terminology that everybody (or most people) can relate to.
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• We study the value of enhanced:
• Rangeland productivity
• Infiltration of rainfall to groundwater aquifers
• Stabilisation and trapping of sediments
• Carbon sequestration and storage
An economic valuation ecosystem goods and services associated with HIMA restoration
o Define the location
o Bani Hashem Hima
o Within the larger Zarqa river basin.
Step 1: Where?
o MOE MAP
WHERE: ZARQA RIVER BASIN
Step 2: Define the baseline scenario
What would happen over a 25 year time horizon if there is no changes in current rangeland practices?
Rangeland productivity rapidly declining – halving of edible dry matter per ha in 20 years (MoA 2009)
High livestock numbers compared to carrying capacity of land (as long as feed subsidy persist)
Step 3: Define the future scenario
o …Against which the economic valuation is undertaken
LARGE-SCALE HIMA RESTORATION
Step 3: Define the future scenario
o 109’093 ha suitable for HIMA restoration
o Out of a total 359’675.2 ha within the Zarqa river basin
In TOTAL
Value of enhanced rangeland productivity
o We use the experience from Bani Hashem
THE BENEFITS OF HIMA RESTORATION ??
RANGELAND PRODUCTIVITY
Value of enhanced rangeland productivity – building blocks
• We have a Hima management principle
• We know the plant biomass after 2.5 years of protection (excellent study by NCARE researcher for IUCN)
• We know the approximate starting value for plant biomass per ha.
• We know the maximum plant biomass per ha for the Baadia ecosystem ~ 500 kg/ha (100-200 mm of rain)
Value of enhanced rangeland productivity – building blocks
The Noy-Meir sigmoid curve has been shown to accurately reflect pasture growth in a managed grazing setting (Cacho 1993; Cooper and Huffaker 1997; Ritten 2013)
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Growth(biomasst ) = γ *biomasst (1−biomasst
biomass MAX)
Value of enhanced rangeland productivity – building blocks
We can predict biomass growth within a HIMA year-by-year.
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Biomass per ha in himat+1 = biomasst +Growth(biomasst ) −biomass grazedt
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BIOMASS ACCUMULATION AND WITHIN A HIMA SYSTEM
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BASELINE
BIOMASS GRAZED IN HIMA VERSUS PURE OPEN ACCESS
HIMA
Value of increased forage availability?
70-90% of all forage is purchased
Any additional natural rangeland forage will replace the need to purchase forage.
Predicted world market price for barley feed
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Baseline
Hima restoration
Present Value per ha of HIMA restoration versus a continuation of the current land use/baseline scenario
JOD/ha
Value of enhanced rangeland productivity
o Value of additional forage from HIMA restoration (in terms of barley equivalent) over 25 years
16.8 million JOD
o 61 800 JOD per 400 ha HIMA
The Premium Value of Natural Forage
• Natural forage is praised for its properties:• Better quality of milk
• Better health of livestock
• We cannot purchase « natural grazing » on the market, nor « natural forage »
• We therefore need to construct a Hypothetical Market to elicit values for these ecosystem services
Using a Choice Experiment to elicit the valueof rangeland restoration
Using a Choice Experiment to elicit the valueof rangeland restoration
ALL FOOD FROM NATURAL PASTURES 105 JD/month
o Households are willing to pay a price premium of = 61.8 JD/ton on natural forage over ‘concentrated feed’.
o True economic value of natural forage over a 25 year time horizon
o 20.5 million JOD
Using a Choice Experiment to elicit the value of rangeland restoration
o The Zarqa river basin is considered as one of the major productive ground water basins in Jordan.
o Important to analyse the contribution of HIMA systems to ground water recharge.
o We use:
o Soil and Water Assessment tool (SWAT model)
Value of enhanced aquifer recharge ?
Value of enhanced aquifer recharge and water yield?
2013 2015 2020 2030
Hima restoration scenarion
Baseline/ Open access
Value of shallow aquifer recharge
96 000 m3 /year
o We look at existing prices in the market to approximate the value of water
o We look at what pastoralists are Willing To Pay for water for their flocks
Value of shallow aquifer recharge
~ 2 JD / m3
o Present value of water infiltration over a 25 year time horizon.
o 2.8 million JOD
o Lower bound estimate Increasing scarcity of water, the value goes up
Value of shallow ground-water infiltration
o Sediments reduce water storage capacity of dams
Value of sediment stabilisation
KING TALAL DAM
7.6 Million Cubic Meter (MCM) over 25 years of sediments are trapped and not deposited in King Talal Dam as a result of HIMA restoration
Reduced sedimentation from HIMA restoration
……Demand for water will not decline.
o Any lost water storage capacity will have to be replaced !
Value of sediment stabilisation
= 9.2 million JOD
Value of sediment stabilisation
Avoided Dam Construction Cost of replacing 7.6 MCM of water storage:
FOR Soil Organic Carbon we use estimates provided by the:
UNEP project Global Environmental Facility Soil Organic Carbon (GEFSOC) system Al-Amadat et al., (2007)
Above ground carbon sequestration is calculated using IPCC tier 1 guidelines.
Value of Carbon Sequestration
Predicted carbon sequestration in HIMA versus open-access rangelands
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base-line
Tons/ha
Value? Social cost of carbon
JD/ha
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The SCC is an estimate of the economic damages associated with a one ton increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Damages include, decreased agricultural productivity, damage from rising sea levels and harm to human health related to climate change
Avoided social cost of carbon of Large Scale Hima restoration
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PV of carbon sequestered =t=0
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∑ ΔCarbon Sequestration∗SCCt(1+ r)t
* Area
Present Value of Carbon sequestration from large-scale HIMA restoration over a 25 year time horizon
= 32.7 million JOD
Many benefits, but what about:
THE COSTS OF HIMA RESTORATION ??
Implementation costs: o Community workshops, participatory processes, biomass studies,
observation tower ~ 1 000 JD – 2 000 JD
Management costs: o Biomass and stocking density studies ~ 800 JD / year for 5-10 years
o Surveilliance by MoA ~ 5 000 JD / year
o OR: Surveilliance by community ~ 8 00 JD / year
Tentative implementation costs and surveilliance costs:
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OUTCOME?
BenefitsNatural forage / Rangeland productivity 20.5 million JD Groundwater percolation 2.8 million JD Sediment control 9.1 million JD Total Present Economic Value 32.1 million JD Costs
Surveillance and biomass studies by paid employees
27.0 million JD
Benefits - Costs
Total Net Present Value of HIMA restoration 5.1 million JD
NPV of Hima management system as today (in Bani Hashem) over 25 years for 100,000 ha of HIMA
BenefitsNatural forage / Rangeland productivity 20.5 million JD Groundwater percolation 2.8 million JD Sediment control 9.1 million JD Total Present Economic Value 32.1 million JD Costs
Implementation, community surveillance and biomass studies
7.3 million JD
Benefits - Costs
Total Net Present Value of HIMA restoration 24.7 million JD
NPV of Hima system through serious community management over 25 years for 100,000 ha of Hima
BenefitsNatural forage / Rangeland productivity 20.5 million JOD Groundwater percolation 2.8 million JOD Sediment control 9.1 million JOD Carbon sequestration 32.8 million JOD Total Present Economic Value 64.8 million JOD Costs
Community surveillance and biomass studies 7.3 million JOD
Benefits - Costs
Total Net Present Value of HIMA restoration 57.7 million JOD
NPV of Hima system through 100% community management and surveillance
LESSONS AND CONCLUSIONS
o Costs associated with HIMA implementation and management will be minimised if management/land rights are delegated to the community
o In line with the revised Jordanian rangeland strategy
Lessons
Livestock numbers within the Zarqa River Basin are currently too high for 100% Hima restoration
Raises a question about fodder subsidies…
Other lessons
o The HIMA system is extremely valuable: o To pastoral communities in terms of an increased
availability of natural forage
o Also to the Jordanian Society as a whole.
o Large-scale HIMA-restoration can provide
30-60 million JD worth of services over and above continuing the present land use system over a 25 year time horizon.
Conclusions
o HIMA communities are service providers !!
o Could we imagine schemes whereby ‘beneficiaries’ (e.g. dam owners) help finance HIMA providers?
o How to create the necessary incentives?
Lessons and perspectives
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION