Quantification of Provisioning and Regulating Ecosystem Services in Alpine Pastures of Western Himalayan Region of Pakistan

Aim of study: To quantify the provisioning and regulating ecosystem services provided by the Alpine Pastures of Tangir District in Northern Pakistan and to determine their economic value. Area of study: Tangir District, Northern Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan), covering an area of 136.222 ha. Material and method: The study estimated mean annual fresh forage production, air-dried forage production, total dry forage production and carbon stock. The monetary values of forage production and carbon credit were also calculated. Main results: The mean annual fresh forage production was 3.70 tons ha⁻¹, while air-dried forage production was 2.70 tons ha⁻¹. Alpine Pastures produced 367799.40 tons of dry forage, with a monetary value of 5.977 million PKR (21 million USD). Total carbon stock was estimated at 83231.64 tons, with a carbon credit value of 4.16 million USD (1186.05 million PKR). Research highlights: The study indicated the economic value of Alpine Pastures and their potential as a source of revenue in emerging payment for ecosystem services and carbon trading.