BIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOLS IN THE
CONTEXT OF PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
PART II / CHAPTER 6
There are also many different types of PES deals, ranging
and can be flexible with respect to which land uses are and
from hundreds of small and private site-specific schemes to
are not allowed under its scheme, thus targeting its efforts
larger government-regulated schemes
15
and multilateral
environmental agreements such as the Clean Development
towards local conser vation and socio - economic
16
development.
Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol.
In spite of the promising basis of the PES concept, many
PES schemes have the potential to be more cost-efficient
PES experts urge caution against accepting it as a panacea,
than regulatory and subsidized approaches to environmental
arguing that the success of PES schemes are highly dependent
conservation that rely heavily on public financial resources
on a large set of circumstances and demand substantial
to function. PES schemes usually have flexible and need-based
groundwork before they can succeed. In addition to the
structures that can support themselves in the long run.
concern that PES systems only work in conditions with a
Overall, PES schemes can be more adaptive and effective than
clear market demand, they also seem to rely on well-organized
a purely regulator y approach to conser vation.
providers and users with clear and secure property rights.
For example, PES schemes can be implemented when the
Furthermore, transaction costs of a PES scheme must not
creation of protected areas would be impossible due to socio-
be too high to offset any potential gains for both the
economic or political contexts. They are easy to administer
user(s) and provider(s).
17
3. Community Engagement with PES Schemes
The principle objective of PES schemes is to establish an
important increase to net income in the community while
economic incentive to foster more efficient and sustainable
functioning as impetus for adopting a more sustainable
18
19
use of biological resources and ecosystems. Nevertheless,
approach to land and ecosystem management.
PES schemes can also contribute to poverty alleviation,
However, it is not always the case that communities engage
particularly among rural communities whose livelihoods are
in unsustainable use of biological resources. Indeed, many
highly dependent on the use of natural resources in
examples exist in which local communities actively maintain
surrounding areas. Population pressures or lack of economic
and conserve the biodiversity on which their livelihoods
opportunities based on anything other than short-term
and bio-cultural heritage depend. It is often highlighted
incentives can lead to unsustainable forest management
how ILCs such as the Raika, discussed earlier in this book,
or farming practices. PES schemes can mitigate this cycle
contribute to and sometimes become leaders in the
by offering longer-term incentives for the sustainable use
conservation of local biodiversity through their sustainable
of resources through opportunities for low-income
land use practices. In such cases, PES schemes can offer a
communities to gain additional employment or other
reward for the maintenance of such services and an
economically valuable benefits for their conservation
acknowledgement of the contribution of their bio-cultural
of ecosystems. Supporting livelihoods through small
practices to conservation.
economic incentives over many years may offer an
15. See for example the case of Costa Rica: “Payment for Environmental Services and Rural Communities: Lessons from the Americas” Herman Rosa, Susan Kandel,
Leopoldo Dimas and Ernesto Mendez, PRISMA (Programa Salvadoreño de Investigación sobre Desarrollo y Medio Ambiente)
16. Supra note 10.
17. Ibid.
18. Supra note 6.
19. Ibid.
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