L32: Payment for Ecosystem Services

Question 1

Current issues:

Answer 1

• ecosystem services undervalued
• 60% of services degrading faster than regenerating
• direct government intervention
• demonstration approach
• regulatory approach
• subsidies
• low adoption rates
• adoption followed by abondonment

Question 2

Payment for ecosystem services Is:

Answer 2

a voluntary transaction in which a well-defined environmental service (ES), or a form of land use likely to secure that service is bought by at least one ES buyer from a minimum of one ES provider if and only if the provider continues to supply that service.

Question 3

Types of ecosystem payment

Answer 3

• public payment scheme for private owners
• formal markets (voluntary/compulsory)
• self-organised private deals

Question 4

Examples of ecosystem payment types:

Answer 4

• purchase of high-value habitat
• payment for access to land or species
• payment for conservation management practices
• tradable rights
• support conservation business

Question 5

Approach to PES

Answer 5

1. Define ecosystem service and potential buyers
2. Assess institutional & technical capacity
3. Structuring agreements
4. Implementation

Question 6

1. Define service and buyers

Answer 6

• weighing up alternatives
• determining price
• buyer and seller can initiate process
• unintentional effects

Question 7

2. Assess institutional and technical capacity

Answer 7

• legal
• policy
• ownership
• support organisation and institutions

Question 8

Criticism of PES

Answer 8

• environmental ethics (anthropocentric vs biocentric)
• human-nature relationship
• biodiversity conflict
• economic value of ecosystems
• commodification of ecosystem
• vagueness
• overly optimistic