Representatives from 9 Asian countries have met to discuss Payments for Ecosystem Services schemes, their benefits and costs, assessment, design, legislative and other associated issues.

The Business Mirror reports on the ‘Workshop on Science, Economics and Institutions for Payments for Ecosystem Services Design’ recently held in Manila.

The workshop was organized by the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Economy and Environment Programme for Southeast Asia (Eepsea) and involved representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Among those presenting was Dr. Beria Leimona, Ecosystem Services Specialist with the World Agroforestry Centre.

PES schemes involve beneficiaries of ecosystem services (such as watershed protection, forest conservation, biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and landscape beauty in support of ecotourism) providing cash or in-kind payments to the providers of these services, including farmers, indigenous peoples and rural communities.

The workshop provided an opportunity for participating countries to assess the possible role of PES in protected-area management and discuss the fundamental elements in designing PES-related activities that they can be efficient, socially acceptable and administratively manageable.

The article outlines how PES schemes only work if benefits from the services to the beneficiaries exceed the opportunity costs to provide the services. Transaction costs associated with PES can be high and often such schemes require additional funding during their establishment.

Read the full story: Asean, China discuss PES to promote conservation and green growth