Agricultural opportunity costs assessment based on planting suitability:a case study in a mountain county in southwest China

作     者：liu ju fu bin wang yu-kuan lu ya-feng xu pei 

作者机构：institute of mountain hazards and environmentchinese academy of sciencesChengdu 610041China key laboratory of environment change and resources use in beibu gulf(guangxi teachers education university)ministry of educationNanning 530001China wanzhou key regional ecology and environment monitoring stationChongqing 404020China 

出 版 物：《Journal of Mountain Science》 (山地科学学报（英文）)

年 卷 期：2017年第14卷第12期

页      面：2568-2580页

核心收录：

学科分类：02[经济学] 0202[经济学-应用经济学] 020202[经济学-区域经济学] 

基　　金：funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41371539) Western Light Talent Culture Project:Standard of Payment for Ecosystem Service based on GIS GEF(Global Environment Fund)Project:Payment for Watershed Services in the Chishui River Basin for the Conservation of Globally Significant Biodiversity(Grant Nos.00089388) 

主　　题：Opportunity cost Planting suitability Willingness to accept Ecosystem service Spatial variation Baoxing County 

摘      要：Payment for ecosystem services(PES) has become an increasingly popular means of ecosystem conservation. Opportunity cost is an important factor to increase the investment efficiency of PES ***, the distribution of opportunity cost is usually unclear in mountainous regions due to the obvious environment changes. In this study, we developed a framework to assess the distribution of agricultural opportunity costs in mountainous regions and applied this method to Baoxing County, a typical mountainous county in Sichuan Province of southwest China. Planting suitability of 17 crops was assessed based on agricultural statistics and natural conditions data within a GIS *** opportunity cost was quantified with a weighted summation of farmers willingness to cultivate and each crop s opportunity cost. Finally,specific agricultural opportunity cost was obtained according to the spatial areas of the protection programs and land use status. The results showed that agricultural opportunity costs of PES in Baoxing County were estimated to be more than $30 million,with a mean of 400.85 $/ha. Agricultural opportunity costs in mountainous regions displayed some obvious spatial variation and areas with lower agricultural opportunity costs could be selected as priority areas for PES. Our findings revealed that the planting suitability evaluation can make agricultural opportunity costs mapping more reasonable. It will be helpful for the PES programs implementation in mountainous regions.