Pak. J. Bot., 53(5): 1801-1806, 2021. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2021-5(18) ECONOMIC VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN ALPINE PASTURES OF WESTERN HIMALAYAS: A CASE STUDY OF KAGHAN VALLEY, PAKISTAN ANWAR ALI 1 , MUHAMMAD AYAZ KHAN 2 , MUHAMMAD IRFAN ASHRAF 3* AND MUHAMMAD ARIF GOHEER 4 1 Director, Forestry Research Division, Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar, Pakistan 2 National Project Manager, Sustainable Forest Management Project, Ministry of Climate Change, Islamabad, Pakistan 3 Assistant Professor, Department of Forestry & Range Management, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 4 PSO/Head Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use Section, Global Change Impact Studies Center, Ministry of Climate Change, Islamabad, Pakistan * Corresponding author’s email: drirfancanada@gmail.com ; irfanashraf@uaar.edu.pk Abstract Alpine pastures of Kaghan valley are one of the most productive grazing lands in Pakistan. These pastures provide many ecosystem services which are important for livelihood of the local people, nomadic graziers and economy of the country. Alpine pastures of Kaghan spread over an area of 71,939 ha constituting 28% of the total area of the valley. Present study was conducted to quantify the economic value of provisioning ecosystem services i.e. forage production in the study area. The data was collected from 40 fenced experimental plots laid out at eight sites during June-September 2019. Livestock population was estimated through a field survey by interviewing 485 graziers. Results indicated that 65% of the vegetation was comprised of forbs, 24% grasses and 11% was shrubs. Average dry weight of forage was calculated as 2,900 kg ha -1 . Total forage production in the grazeable areas of alpine pastures of Kaghan Valley was estimated as 146,035 tonnes per year. The average price of air-dried forage in the area was Rs. 12,000 per tonne or US$ 74.48 per tonne. Therefore, total economic value of forage production in the grazeable areas of Kaghan valley was Rs. 1,752 million or US$ 10.87 million per year. Total livestock population of the Alpine pastures of Kaghan valley was estimated as 163,550 animals. About 56% of the livestock grazing in the pastures comprised of goats, 39% sheep, 2% cows, 2% horses, 1% donkeys, 0.4% mules and 0.3% buffaloes. It was concluded that the alpine pastures of Kaghan valley are very productive and have a key role in the local economy. Sustainable management of alpine pastures will ensure the continuity of valuable ecosystem services. Key words: Alpine, Pasture, Forage, Ecosystem services, Livestock, Grazing, Range. Introduction Ecosystem services are conditions, progressions or productions of natural systems that benefit humans, either directly or indirectly as inputs into the production of other goods and services that enhance social welfare. These services attempt to transform the benefits from nature into economic terms. For instance, the pollination of agriculture crops and forest trees bestowed by insects and birds contributes to food production is a valuable ecosystem service to humans (Johnston, 2018). The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment identified four major categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services (Reid et al., 2005). The provisioning services are material things produced by nature such as food, water, timber and fuel whereas regulating services make life possible on the earth by controlling various processes for example climate system, hydrological cycle, pollination and decomposition. The cultural services are intangible values that substantially contribute to human wellbeing such as aesthetic gratification, recreation, spiritual fantasies intellectual and social development whereas supporting services of ecosystem allow basic life form to sustain e.g., nutrient cycling, soil formation, photosynthesis and primary production (Reid et al., 2005). The economic valuation of ecosystem services has recently gained momentum due to its critical connection with wellbeing of human society (Lienhoop et al., 2015). Prosperity and poverty reduction of the mountainous communities depend on maintaining the flow of benefits from ecosystems (Rasul et al., 2011). Further, the conservation and sustainable development of natural ecosystems can receive proper allocation in public investment when they have sound economic justifications (Sukhdev et al., 2010). Economic valuation is also essential for designing payments for ecosystem services (PES) which has the potential to create new financing opportunities for conservations and sustainable management of ecosystems to promote green economy. Assessment of ecosystem services is valuing nature. It provides a foundation for sustainable development and stipulates important information for resource conservation and management. This is an emerging sector and many ecosystem services do not have a market value yet and are ignored during economic valuation (Ortega et al., 2014). The mountain ecosystems of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) provide diverse ecosystem services to one fourth of the global human population. Alpine pastures of Western Himalayan region deliver many valuable ecosystem services which are not only important for livelihood of the rural mountain communities but also for food security and socio - economic uplift of downstream areas (Khan, 2012). These ecosystem services include sustaining fresh water supply to the downstream areas for irrigation and hydropower generation, soil conservation, habitat for biodiversity, carbon sequestration and tourism. Despite these vital services, alpine pastures have been offered