Nowadays, great emphasis is placed on the relationship between forest and water because forests are considered as substantial sources of many water ecosystem services. The aim of this paper is to ...analyze the stakeholder opinions towards the relationship between forests and water and the potential development of water-related payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes. The study is developed in the context of COST Action CA15206–PESFOR-W (Forests for Water) aimed at synthesizing current knowledge about the PES schemes across Europe. The stakeholder opinions were mapped out using a structured questionnaire consisting of 20 questions divided into four thematic sections. The data were collected through an online survey. The results showed opinions of 142 stakeholders from 23 countries, mainly from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. In order to analyze the collected data, the stakeholders were grouped in buyers, sellers, intermediaries, and knowledge providers. The survey results indicated that the most important category of water ecosystem services according to our sample of stakeholders is regulating services followed by provisioning services. Further findings pointed out the highest importance that shared values and direct changes in land management can have when designing water-related PES schemes. The role of public authorities and collective collaboration of different stakeholders, with emphasis on local and expert knowledge, are also identified as of crucial importance. The results show that stakeholder opinions can serve as a starting point when designing PES schemes.
Payments for environmental services (PES) are an economic incentive tool increasingly used for watershed conservation. Based on the concept of environmental services, the PES approach allows the ...combination of several conservation objectives at the watershed scale to improve the attributes of the water resources. Improving the availability of surface water and groundwater recharge, and improving water quality by reducing water erosion and enhancing nitrate filtration, are examples of services that enhance the conservation of watersheds and improve the economic efficiency of investments. In Morocco, watershed conservation has gone through important steps towards the implementation of integrated management, but PES are not yet implemented. Their implementation in the country will be of interest and simultaneously thwarted by a number of limitations. This paper presents the concept of environmental services and the economic foundations of PES, then presents a point of view and proposals for their implementation to improve watershed conservation in the specific context of Morocco.
Payments for environmental services (PES) are an economic incentive tool increasingly used for watershed conservation. Based on the concept of environmental services, the PES approach allows the ...combination of several conservation objectives at the watershed scale to improve the attributes of the water resources. Improving the availability of surface water and groundwater recharge, and improving water quality by reducing water erosion and enhancing nitrate filtration, are examples of services that enhance the conservation of watersheds and improve the economic efficiency of investments. In Morocco, watershed conservation has gone through important steps towards the implementation of integrated management, but PES are not yet implemented. Their implementation in the country will be of interest and simultaneously thwarted by a number of limitations. This paper presents the concept of environmental services and the economic foundations of PES, then presents a point of view and proposals for their implementation to improve watershed conservation in the specific context of Morocco.
•New conceptual framework for cost-effectiveness analysis of woodlands for water PES.•Institutional factors often play fundamental role in PES scheme cost-effectiveness.•‘In-principle’ and ...‘pragmatic’ perspectives can diverge on PES cost-effectiveness.•Societal co-benefits can exceed financial costs of woodlands for water PES.•Danish case studies provide examples where social cost-effectiveness is negative.
The evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of Payments for ecosystem services (PES) in fostering positive environmental outcomes has been central to the scientific debate on their implementation. PES cost-effectiveness can be affected by a myriad of environmental, institutional and socio-economic factors operating at different spatial and temporal scales. Moreover, it can be affected by synergies and trade-offs in the provision of ecosystem services (ES). Planting trees is increasingly considered an effective measure to provide water-related ES. It can enhance watershed services such as nutrient retention, erosion control, stream flow regulation, protection against extreme events (e.g., floods and landslides), and lead to a permanent change in land use, replacing agricultural activities that give rise to diffuse pollution. Very few studies currently exist on the cost-effectiveness of tree planting for water quality benefits PES schemes in Europe. Including both review and research elements, this paper highlights challenges in undertaking such assessments. It develops a conceptual framework to help underpin future studies, with its application to three case studies in Denmark explored. Particular attention is given to the estimation of environmental effectiveness in the provision of water quality services and the importance of co-benefits. In the case where we exclude co-benefits from the analysis, the financial cost-effectiveness is always above zero, with central estimates (without discounting environmental improvements) of €10/Kg N, and €0.36 to €0.50/mg pesticide. Once co-benefits are accounted for, however, the social cost-effectiveness is negative (except for under the low estimates) as the value of the co-benefits exceeds the costs, with central estimates of -€28/Kg N, and -€0.34 to -€0.23/mg pesticide. The paper discusses the implications and lessons for PES cost-effectiveness analysis, and identifies research gaps. Increased knowledge of forest water benefits and the cost-effectiveness of woodlands for water schemes would help underpin future incentives to enhance the provision of these ES.
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