Economic Valuation of Atmospheric Gas Regulation Services through Spatial Modeling ‎in Kerman Province, Iran

Aims: The absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide for carbon sequestration plays a vital role in regulating the climate. This study aimed to economically evaluate carbon absorption and oxygen supply ‎ in Kerman province using ecosystem service modeling. Methods: Terrestrial carbon storage was assessed using InVEST software, considering aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, soil, and litter/ dead organic matter. Oxygen supply in the ecosystem was also calculated based on carbon relationships. Economic valuation of carbon and oxygen supply was determined using the social cost of carbon dioxide and replacement cost, respectively. Findings: In 2021, Kerman province was estimated to sequester 6,896,182.89 t.yr-1 of carbon and produce 18,481,770.36 t.yr-1 of oxygen. The economic value of carbon sequestration and oxygen supply in the province was calculated at 354,325,877 and 1,686,461,545 $.yr-1, totaling $2,040,787,422 in 2021. Conclusion: The economic valuation of carbon sequestration and the oxygen supply spatially ‎demonstrate the multiple roles of vegetation cover in the economy, which help maintain and ‎restore it. Economic valuation maps of studied ecosystem services have wide applications in ‎land management and planning. Furthermore, they underscore the importance of incentives for long-term carbon storage to encourage ‎sustainable practices. ‎