Prospects and determinants of willingness to pay for sustainable restoration of rangelands among smallholder cattle producers in North West Province, South Africa

The depletion and poor management of rangeland ecosystems has become widespread and acute in arid Degradation and poor management of rangeland ecosystems pose a significant threat to environmental sustainability and livestock-based livelihoods in arid and semi-arid regions. Market-based conservation instruments, such as willingness to pay (WTP) assessments, offer a viable pathway for incentivising sustainable land management. This study investigates smallholder cattle producers’ WTP for rangeland restoration in South Africa’s North West Province, integrating socio-economic and ecological dimensions to inform policy and practice. A double-bounded contingent valuation method was applied to data from 101 cattle producers, revealing that over 80% were willing to pay an initial bid of USD 11.50 ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, with a mean WTP of USD 17.00 ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Logistic regression analysis identified education level (p = 0.012), preferred cattle breed (p = 0.039), farming experience (p = 0.026), goat ownership (p = 0.022), ecoregion (p = 0.079), and cattle-derived income (p = 0.048) as significant predictors of WTP. These findings highlight strong support for rangeland restoration and management and reflect how socio-economic and ecological factors shape land-use management choices. The study contributes to the design of participatory, equity-sensitive restoration frameworks that align with environmental management, sustainable land-use policy, and resilience-building in pastoral systems.