Responses of grazing households to different levels of payments for ecosystem services

Abstract

Introduction Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs have been implemented globally to protect ecosystems while securing the well-being of affected people. Reasonable payment standards are key to successful PES programs. Although some approaches are available for determining payment standards, few studies have applied them for grassland conservation with location indicators and socioeconomic contexts properly considered. Methods Using China’s first pilot Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy (GECP) as an example, we analyzed the effects of payment levels, other natural and socioeconomic factors on herders’ willingness to participate in the GECP in Damao County in Inner Mongolia where grassland degradation is happening at an alarming rate due to overgrazing and cropland expansion. Outcomes Our results show that households with lower herding income, older age, higher education, larger grassland areas, and worse social relationships are more inclined to participate in the GECP. Conservation payment level, as well as natural and socioeconomic contextual factors, significantly affect the response of herdsmen, and a reasonable grassland payment standard with a 95% policy compliance rate should be 8.8 yuan mu −1 . Discussion and Conclusion Our findings can inform governments to develop effective PES programs to balance the need of human well-being improvement and grassland conservation in China and beyond.

Policy Cognition, Household Income and Farmers’ Satisfaction: Evidence from a Wetland Ecological Compensation Project in the Poyang Lake Area at the Micro Level

“…A study by Li et al (2022) on grassland ecological compensation programs found significant differences in herders' policy satisfaction influenced by factors such as household income, payment cognition, and the size of household-owned grasslands [13]. Another study by Shen et al (2022) on herders in Damao County, Inner Mongolia, showed that householders who were older and better educated, and who had lower incomes from livestock, larger grasslands and weaker social connections were more likely to participate in ecological compensation programs [28]. In southern China, forest ecosystems are the focus for ecological compensation projects.…”

Ecological restoration for sustainable development in China

“…Social and economic issues, such as limited access to markets and input resources, weak governance and lack of knowledge around alternative production technologies, frequently constrain the options available to communities in degraded landscapes [ 27 ], such that ecological restoration may encourage local investment and lead to employment opportunities under adaptive management combined with socioeconomic development [ 28 ]. In addition, the costs of improving ecosystem service delivery in an ecological restoration project may be considered, at least partially, as leverage for local sustainable livelihoods [ 29 , 30 ]. It should be noted that the contribution of ecological restoration to markets and livelihoods is not unidirectional, as the issues in sustainable livelihoods and socioeconomic development also drive decision-making in ecological restoration.…”

Herder households' livelihood strategies as a response to payments for grassland ecosystem services in China

“…First, the payment standard is low. With the improvement of the payment level, the enthusiasm of the herder households to reduce livestock herd counts will also increase (Shen et al, 2022). Second, supervision is weak.…”