Economics of land degradation initiative : An economic valuation of a large-scale rangeland restoration project through the Hima system in Jordan. A case study in Jordan

This paper presents an ex-ante cost-benefit analysis of large-scale rangeland restoration through the Hima system within the Zarqa River Basin, drawing on experience from a pilot initiative by IUCN and the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture since 2010. The ecosystem services that arise from rangeland restoration are valued using a combination of stated preference, avoided costs, replacement cost and market prices approaches. The economic analysis has built on high-resolution remote sensing, GIS, and biophysical soil and water assessment tools, and was elaborated to rigorously calibrate the impact of land use changes on forage availability, ground water filtration, carbon sequestration, and sediment stabilisation.