Payments for Ecosystem Services: Getting Started. A Primer - UNEP

Section 3: A Step-by-Step Approach to Developing PES Deals
• Do local and/or national laws enable (or at least not prohibit) payments for
ecosystem services?
If people in rural communities do not have legal and practical access to an ecosystem
service, a buyer will likely fi nd the risks of forging a PES deal too great. If clarity on
tenure or use rights do exist, however, then so does a critical element of the context in
which PES can develop.
All claims to land and land-use rights, therefore, must be understood in order to
ensure that all parties with a stake in the resources at a particular PES deal site
are involved in any prospective PES discussion. This broadening of the discussion
to include traditional users can, in some cases, deliver the additional benefi t of
promoting clarity and legal certainty in land tenure issues. However, it is essential
to be cautious and ensure that the prospect of an ecosystem service deal does not
motivate ‘land grabs’ or efforts to gain control of land and resources with the intention
of fi nancially benefi ting from PES deals, while resulting in less secure tenure and
even resource access among the poor. It is complex, and all of these issues must be
considered, particularly by NGOs that are seeking to identify potential PES sites.
BOX 21
Rules for Selecting Among Applicants to PWS Program:
Targeting Efficiency in the Mexican PES Programs
To achieve better targeting of funds among program participants, and to improve program effi ciency, the Mexican Technical
Committee for PES programs recommended in 2005 that an explicit grading system for evaluating proposals be incorporated
into the rules of operation. The grading system helps to identify those areas that are more valuable for their environmental
benefi ts, and where true modifi cation of conduct is achieved. Every year, the properties with higher scores are included in the
program until the annual budget is exhausted.
Overexploited aquifers:
• 3 points for extremely overexploited
• 2 points for overexploited
• 1 point for aquifers in equilibrium
Priority Mountains
• 2 points if the property is on a priority mountain
Natural Protected Areas
• 2 points if it is within a Natural Protected Area
High risk of floods
• 3 points for highest risk of fl oods
• 2 points for higher risk of fl oods
• 1 point for high risk of fl oods
High water scarcity municipalities (2,1,0)
• 2 points for higher water scarcity municipalities
• 1 points for high water scarcity municipalities
Deforestation Risk
• 5 points for highest risk of deforestation
• 4 points for higher risk of deforestation
• 3 points for medium risk of deforestation
• 2 points for lower risk of deforestation
• 1 points for lowest risk of deforestation
Other criteria include:
• poverty level of the municipality;
• if it is an indigenous community; and
• if the community has a watershed “protection plan”.
For more information about the targeting, please consult: www.ine.gob.mx/dgipea/download/draft_ecological_economics.pdf.
For more information about the Operation Rules of Mexican PES programs see: www.conafor.gob.mx.
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