A paper by the World Agroforestry Centre looks at whether payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes that target water, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration services do in fact benefit the poor.

Ecoystem Marketplace carries a summary of a study in which the Centre analysed 36 PES projects to determine their livelihood benefits.

The study found that non-financial benefits were often more motivating and had the same or greater value to the farmers involved than cash payments. Many projects also resulted in the clarification of tenure rights. In the projects studied, it was not necessary to fully quantify the ecosystem services in order for the benefits to be effective.

The study provides valuable lessons for the design of future PES projects

Read the summary: ICRAF Goes Hunting for Pro-Poor PES Outcomes

Download the full study: Payments for ecosystem services schemes: project-level insights on benefits for ecosystems and the rural poor