Payments for environmental services in watersheds : insights from a comparative study of three cases in Central America
Kosoy, Nicolás (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Martínez Tuna, Miguel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Muradian, Roldán (Tilburg University. Development Research Institute)
Martínez Alier, Joan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Imprint:	Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Unitat d'Història Econòmica 2006
Description:	29 p.
Abstract:	We have compared three cases of payments for water-related environmental services (PES) in Central America, in terms of socioeconomic background, opportunity costs of forest conservation and stakeholders' perceptions on the conditions of water resources and other issues. We found that, in general, the foregone benefits from land uses alternative to forest cover are larger than the amount paid, which apparently contradicts the economic foundation of PES schemes. A number of possible explanations are explored. The results also suggest that trade-offs between different environmental and social goals are likely to emerge in PES schemes, posing some doubts on their ability to be multipurpose instruments for environmental improvement and rural development. We also found that PES schemes may work as a conflictresolution instrument, facilitating downstream -upstream problem solving, though at the same time they might introduce changes in social perceptions of property rights.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Indexed by:	Ecological economics, v. 61, issues 2-3, 2007
Language:	Anglès
Series:	Departament d'Economia i d'Història Econòmica. Unitat d'Història Econòmica. Documents de treball
Series:	Documents de treball (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Unitat d'Història Econòmica) ; 1/2006
Document:	Working paper
Subject:	Desenvolupament rural ; Amèrica Llatina

29 p, 89.9 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Research literature > Working papers > Economic History Unit. Working papers