Economic valuation of rangelands in the north of Mexico: A study for its conservation

Aim of study: To estimate grazing fee and the economic value of the communal rangelands of two groups of ranchers.Area of study: Ejido Tanque de Arenas (ETA) and ejido Tanque de Dolores (ETD) in Catorce, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.Material and methods: The contingent valuation method with referendum format was used to propose a grazing fee that would allow conservation and continuity in the use of the common resource. The field information was collected by interviews and was processed in the PASW Statistics 22 software NLOGIT Version 5.0.Main results: Perception of rangeland deterioration, age, size of the herd, and level of income are characteristics of ranchers that influence the willingness to pay. From the coefficient of rangeland of the region (24.2 ha/AU) a monthly grazing fee of USD 7.18 per animal was calculated.Research highlights: Estimation and payment of grazing fees are an alternative to avoid the deterioration of communal rangelands, without incurring land parcelization.