Economic Evaluation of Medicinal and Forage Functions in Jalambadan Rangeland, Joveyn County

Rangeland create various products and services for the users, but currently livestock grazing (forage) is considered the first priority for the exploitation of rangeland. Paying attention to the differents types of services provided by rangeland and determining the economic value of these services helps managers in improving planning and optimal management, creating jobs and increasing the income of users. The purpose of the current research is to investigate the economic value and compare the income of forabge and medicinal production of Jalambadan rangeland in Joveyn County.

In order to determine the homogeneous areas of vegetation and to study more accurately and easily different parameters related to rangeland production, the rangeland was classified. Then the floristic list of plant types was prepared. Vegetation sampling was done in the representative area of each vegetation type using six 50-meter transects and 1×2 rectangular plots, and the number of plots was estimated to be 368 based on Cochran's formula. In order to calculate the annual plant production in each type of rangeland, the double method was used. Based on this, the amount of fodder production has been estimated in all the plots and only 25% of the plots were cut. In this research, 50% exploitation limit is considered. The estimation of the production of medicinal plants is different according to the organ used for them. Therefore, after identifying medicinal plants and edible organs, the appropriate production estimation method was chosen. Alternative cost method was used for economic estimation of fodder production. Therefore, among the exchangeable plants, the barley plant has been chosen as an alternative product due to its exchangeability in global and local markets. The market price method was used to determine the economic value of medicinal plants.

Six plant classes and 119 plant species were identified in the study area. The results showed that the total forage production rangeland was 1180 tons in the entire area of the and the available forage was 590 tons, and the average forage production per hectare of Jalambadan rangeland was 144 kg. The economic value of fodder available in the entire area of pasture is equal to 805,775,000 Tomans.  The economic value of each hectare of rangeland in terms of available forage was estimated as 98,241 Tomans. According to the results, the production of available medicinal plants is equal to 256 tons and its economic value is equal to 2,845,000,000 Tomans in 2019. The income of medicinal plants after deducting harvesting costs in 2019 was 1,440,000,000 tomans. The medicinal plants income per hactare estimated 175,672 Tomans. The results show that the exploitation of medicinal plants has 1.78 times higher income than the exploitation of forage plants.

Exploitation of medicinal plants is an activity with high economic value and is a good source of income for rangeland users. In addition to forage, as a source of income for the pastoralists, the harvesting of medicinal plants and their processing can be developed to reduce the pressure on the rangeland.