Panel Discussion on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) in Latin America and the Caribbean

Panel Discussion on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) in Latin America and the Caribbean

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister institution in the Dominican Republic, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), in collaboration with the Organization of the American States’ Department of Sustainable Development (DDS/OAS), are organizing a Panel Discussion on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) in Latin America and the Caribbean, to take place this coming Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at FUNGLODE headquarters in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

PES offers a compelling alternative to degrading practices, providing instead incentives for the adoption of sustainable land use practices and resource management.

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is an innovative financing mechanism used to promote the conservation of natural resources, whereby users of ecosystem services reward those whose land provides these services. A PES program assigns a market value to an ecosystem service, such as the production of clean water, and sets up a voluntary contract between the consumers of the water and the landowners who protect the watershed, whom are compensated financially for continually providing the service. PES offers a compelling alternative to degrading practices, providing instead incentives for the adoption of sustainable land use practices and resource management. PES schemes can also be used to generate financial resources in order to address serious environmental concerns, offering an avenue through which the private sector can finance conservation efforts and increase their involvement in environmental protection.

The panel discussion, which will commence at 7:00 pm, seeks to draw attention to the importance of this innovative economic tool and promote the successful establishment of PES schemes in the Dominican Republic. The panel will bring together national and international experts in the field to discuss the implementation tendencies of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs in the region, review lessons learned and highlight the legal and institutional frameworks necessary for the effective development and implementation of PES programs. Special emphasis will be placed on reviewing payment schemes for watershed ecosystem services and specifically on the upper Yaque del Norte River Watershed Management Project (PROCARYN).

As part of their commitment to environmental protection, GFDD and FUNGLODE develop national and international projects and organize conferences and forums designed to promote awareness and improved understanding of environmental issues.

See the Program

To register for the event, please send an email to intern@interdominternships.org or call (809) 685 9966 ext. 2449.

For more information on the event please visit:
http://www.oas.org/dsd/PES/Documentos/Agenda%20ConferenciaInternacionalPSARepublica%20Dominicana%202.pdf

For more information on Payment for Ecosystem Services, please visit http://www.oas.org/dsd/

Background Document:

Casas, Adriana & Martínez, Rodrigo. 2008. Marcos Legales Para El Pago Por Servicios Ambientales en America Latina y El Caribe: Análisis de Ocho Países. Departamento de Desarrollo Sostenible, Secretaria General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos. http://www.oas.org/dsd/PES/MARCOSlegalsFnlLR2.pdf