Paying for watershed services: an effective tool in the developing world

Paying for watershed services: an effective tool in the developing world

Payments for watershed services (PWS) are an increasingly popular conservation and water management tool in developing countries. Some schemes are thriving, and are pro-poor. Others are stalling or have only mixed success. Most rely on public or donor finance; and other sources of funding are unlikely to play a significant role any time soon.

In part, financing PWS schemes remains a challenge because the actual evidence for their effectiveness is still scanty — it is hard to prove that they actually work to benefit both livelihoods and environments. Getting more direct and concrete data on costs and benefits will be crucial to securing the long-term future of PWS schemes.

 
 
 
Maryanne Grieg -Gran, Ina Porras
IIED code: 17128IIED
Published: May 2012 - IIED
Topics: Environmental Economics, Natural Resource Management
Series: IIED Briefing Papers
Details: 4 pages (Briefing)
Language: English

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