Objective: This study explores how a system of cap and trade that can be applied to limit open grazing of goat population in India.
Methods/Findings: Though cap and trade are common widely applied to control air and water pollution, its exploration in the case of open grazing of goats is relatively novel. The ideas are tested through focus group discussions (FGDs) with 182 goat keepers in six different agro-ecological zones across India. Results showed that the goat owners overwhelmingly favoured a cap and trade system wherein the village council (“Panchayat”) acts as the regulator setting an overall legal limit on grazing load or stocking rates (based on the system’s carrying capacity), and then grant households a certain number of permits to graze. Households that do not meet their cap can buy permits from others that have a surplus.
Application: The study indicated that the administrative and social challenges may inhibit adoption of such a radical change from traditional free-for-all open grazing system.