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LAND-USE BEHAVIOUR

When payments for ecosystem conservation stop

Nature Sustainability volume 5, pages 15–16 (2022)Cite this article

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Whether payments for ecosystem services (PES) are effective and how they change the motivations of land and resource users in the long-term is still controversial. A study of a program in Ecuador provides encouraging results regarding what happens if payments stop.

These same questions intrigue interdisciplinary researchers who aim to understand the long-term behavioural effects of economic incentives for conservation — so-called payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes. PES schemes have become a prominent public policy instrument across the developing world to provide incentives for local communities to protect ecosystems and their benefits to the public. However, changing current land-use practices to more environmentally friendly livelihood activities often faces resistance, especially if the former are part of people’s traditional ways of life. Moreover, the transition involves economic uncertainty alongside financial investment and the development of new skills. The overall success of PES programs in contributing to sustainability remains controversial1,2,3,4.

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  1. Department of Environmental Politics, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany

    Julian Rode

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  1. Julian Rode
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Correspondence to Julian Rode.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Rode, J. When payments for ecosystem conservation stop. Nat Sustain 5, 15–16 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00812-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00812-5

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