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Abstract:
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"The literature on rangelands is extensive but very little includes an examination of rangeland valuation. Where it does appear, rangelands tend to be undervalued, mainly due to the fact that most analyses are a) restricted to a specific sector, most commonly livestock production; b) biased towards one marketed product, frequently beef sales or slaughter; and c) limited to use values. Undervaluation of rangelands may contribute to their mismanagement or their transformation to monoculture, such as livestock or wildlife. Similarly, this may lead to inappropriate policy recommendations and prescriptions, for example that vegetation changes in rangelands are not a problem as long as they do not affect livestock productivity.
"This paper undertakes a valuation exercise in an effort to address the first two causes of undervaluation mentioned above. The objective is to estimate the annual direct use value of an average hectare of communal rangeland in Botswana, based on an analysis of secondary data. The exercise incorporates the three major direct uses, both marketed and nonmarketed, of rangelands - livestock, wildlife and gathering."
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