Economic valuation of natural ecosystems services in Malahshoreh and Gorgo rangelands in Boyer Ahmad region

Natural ecosystems have different functions and their services are in accordance the receiving society benefits. The aim of this research was to valuate rangeland ecosystems services including forage production, honey production, carbon sequestration, and oxygen supply (regulating gases) in Maleshoure and Gurgo rangelands in Boyer-Ahmad city. In order to determine the function of gases regulation, vegetation of the study area was evaluated, annual aboveground and underground growth of plants was calculated and the oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption in annual growth were estimated based on the photosynthesis method. To evaluate the carbon sequestration function, carbon tax policy was used as a carbon shadow value and the value of oxygen supply function was also calculated using the alternative cost method. Production functions such as forage and honey were determined by market method. According to the determined price of one kg of produced forage (8446 Rials) and the total amount of useable forage in rangelands, the economic value of total forage in rangelands of the studied region was estimated 6559.8 million Rials per year. Regarding to the results in related to the economic value of carbon sequestration and oxygen release by the rangeland ecosystem, value of gas regulation function was estimated to be 732729.3 Rials per hectare and 5861.8 million Rials in the whole region. The findings showed that the rangelands of studied region in terms of honey production function have an annual average value of 131800 Rials per hectare. Forage production function has the highest percentage of total economic value.