Recommendations on payments for ecosystem services in integrated water resources management : Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

Payments for ecosystem services have the potential to be an environmentally effective, economically efficient and socially equitable tool for implementing integrated water resources management. These Recommendations consist of a set of strategic, rather than technical, recommendations for the various steps involved in the establishment and operation of various schemes for payments for ecosystem services and a set of other annexes, which are of a technical nature. "'Ecosystem services' means the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including: provisioning services such as food, water, timber and fiber; regulating services that affect climate, floods, disease, wastes and water quality; cultural services that provide recreational, aesthetic and spiritual benefits; and supporting services such as soil formation, photosynthesis and nutrient cycling. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES -- contractual transactions for a service or a land use/management practice likely to secure that service) have the potential to be an environmentally effective, economically efficient and socially equitable tool for implementing integrated water resources management. These recommendations consist of a set of strategic, rather than technical, recommendations for the various steps involved in the establishment and operation of various schemes, and a set of other annexes, which are of a technical nature"--Publisher's description "Ecosystem services" means the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including: provisioning services such as food, water, timber and fiber; regulating services that affect climate, floods, disease, wastes and water quality; cultural services that provide recreational, aesthetic and spiritual benefits; and supporting services such as soil formation, photosynthesis and nutrient cycling. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES -- contractual transactions for a service or a land use/management practice likely to secure that service) have the potential to be an environmentally effective, economically efficient and socially equitable tool for implementing integrated water resources management. These recommendations consist of a set of strategic, rather than technical, recommendations for the various steps involved in the establishment and operation of various schemes, and a set of other annexes, which are of a technical nature.--Résumé de l'éditeur Sets out strategic recommendations for the establishment and operation of various schemes for payments for ecosystem services (PES) which were developed through a participatory process involving experts from national authorities, international organisations and NGOs.