Economic evaluation of agroecosystem services of saffron in Khorasan Razavi province

Monetary valuation of agroecoystem services makes them attractive for the society and policy makers should pay more attention to conservation of these services. In this study, the economic value of services as well as negative environmental externalities of saffron fields were estimated in the Khorasan Razavi province during 2015. Information was extracted from questionnaires collected from 75 fields. Using these data, economic values (such as O2 production, food, biodiversity and tourism) together with environmental externalities (including greenhouse gas emission and N and P leakage) were computed based on international value of dollar. Based on the results of the study, the mean values of the agroecosystem services of saffron field such as O2 production, food, biodiversity and cultural services were estimated to be 54.21×106, 266.84×106, 60.24×106, 29.6×106 and 10.58×106 Rls ha-1.y-1, respectively. The shares of these services were up to 39, 35, 19 and 7 percent of total value, respectively. The ranges of environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas emission and N and P leakage were estimated to be -18.54×106 to -8.18×106 and -5.18×106 to -4.07×106 Rls ha-1.y-1. The mean value of the total agroecosystem services of saffron fields excluding externalities, were estimated to be 136.57×106 Rls ha-1 y-1.