Herders' willingness to accept compensation for grassland grazing ban in Northwest China

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) has been widely acknowledged as an effective tool for mitigating grassland degradation and enhancing ecosystem services provision. However, critical factors, such as herders' willingness to accept (WTA) preferences and compensation expectations, are often overlooked, leading to insufficient effectiveness of PES initiatives. This study focused on grassland ecological compensation policy (GECP), quantifying herders' WTA compensation for grassland grazing bans. Through face-to-face surveys and employing the contingent valuation method, we estimated households' WTA for participating in a grassland conservation program to bolster ecosystem service provision. Our findings indicated that herders required an average compensation of 237 CNY mu^–1 yr^–1 to engage in the grazing ban program. Notably, herders' environmental awareness positively influenced their willingness to participate, whereas larger family sizes were negatively correlated with WTA. Additionally, herders in better health, with higher livestock incomes or categorized as semi-herders, tended to accept lower compensation levels. These insights are crucial for improving the effectiveness of GECP and provide valuable reference points for similar analyses in economically disadvantaged and ecologically fragile regions.