Uganda is hosting a conference and technical workshop in late March to discuss how to make mechanisms that promote the protection of natural resources – such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) – more equitable.

An article on the website of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) explains that the events will focus on sharing workable solutions from ongoing projects, such as in the financing of PES schemes, how to bridge technical gaps and design an inclusive agenda that reduces poverty.

The conference will include a presentation from the director of Plan Vivo Foundation looking at how the Plan Vivo standard has managed to reach out to small farmers and communities in developing countries. Project developers from Mexico, Uganda and Nicaragua will share lessons learnt in utilizing carbon offsets to co-fund the balance of sustainable agroforestry. Researchers will also discuss the viability of carbon offsets in the context of biodiversity and watershed services.

The conference and workshop will be held from 25-26 March 2015 in Kampala, Uganda, supported by the Ecosytem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) project. The conference is open to anyone interested in PES and carbon in the smallholder context whereas the training workshop is aimed at a more technical audience

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes involve farmers or landowners receiving financial or in-kind payments in return for actions that manage their land or watersheds to provide an ecological service. Such services could include clean water or carbon sequestration.

Read the full story: Save the date: Payments for Ecosystem Services conference and workshop in Uganda

To register for the conference and/or technical workshop, contact Brian Barban (brian.barban@iied.org) or Jacki Kigozi (jkigozi@ecostrust.or.ug)