Investigation of Ecosystem Goods and Services Flows from Land: A Commentary on Experience from Watersheds in Iran

This paper is about the experience gained in field studies in four provinces in semi-arid Iran. We focus on assessing the flow of ecological goods and services (EG&S) in uplands that are the watersheds. The paper is in three parts. Firstly, we describe the geography, demography and climate to provide a setting for the work but we also seek to provide an explanation of the context for the case studies that form the bulk of this paper. In the second part we elaborate on the nature of the EG&S and discuss inter alia the use of indicators by which we gauge the flow rates of EG&S from the land and also briefly discuss the implications for introducing payments for ecosystem services (PES). Mention is made of the internationally-funded MENARID (Middle East and North Africa Regional Program for Integrated Development) with a focus on the Sustainable Watershed sub-project. Lessons can be drawn from this internationally sponsored program. The key constraints to identifying, evaluating and ascertaining the rate of flow of EG&S, especially spatial and temporal, are elaborated. Finally, we present data (both quantitative and qualitative) derived from field sites and discuss the observed trends and projected futures. We provide some recommendations for making interventions more effective and operational, via replication and scaling up, across the vast areas of upland.