Abstract The depletion and poor management of rangeland ecosystems has become widespread and acute in arid Degradation and poor management of rangeland ecosystems pose a significant threat to environmental sustainability and livestock-based livelihoods in arid and semi-arid regions. Market-based conservation instruments, such as willingness to pay (WTP) assessments, offer a viable pathway for incentivising sustainable land management. This study investigates smallholder cattle producers’ WTP for rangeland restoration in South Africa’s North West Province, integrating socio-economic and ecological dimensions to inform policy and practice. A double-bounded contingent valuation method was applied to data from 101 cattle producers, revealing that over 80% were willing to pay an initial bid of USD 11.50 ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, with a mean WTP of USD 17.00 ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Logistic regression analysis identified education level (p = 0.012), preferred cattle breed (p = 0.039), farming experience (p = 0.026), goat ownership (p = 0.022), ecoregion (p = 0.079), and cattle-derived income (p = 0.048) as significant predictors of WTP. These findings highlight strong support for rangeland restoration and management and reflect how socio-economic and ecological factors shape land-use management choices. The study contributes to the design of participatory, equity-sensitive restoration frameworks that align with environmental management, sustainable land-use policy, and resilience-building in pastoral systems.
Mapiye et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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