The effectiveness of a Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme in Kenya is discussed in an article on the website of the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The scheme has provided energy-saving cookstoves at a much reduced price to people in the village of Kamangura near Mount Kenya in return for a promise that they will only collect firewood from specific places, ensuring the protection of the nearby Gathiuru forest.

Tony Simons, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre explains how PES can work in 3 main ways: communities can be paid to stop activities that harm ecosystems, they can be paid to do something new that supports ecosystems, or communities to co-invest in an activity that has good returns for the ecosystem such as energy-efficient cookstoves.

“The activities must trigger transformation and make sense to the farmer, the village head or even the forest dweller,” Simons said. “PES can either be in (the form of) cash, or by offering incentives and skills transfer.”

PES is seen by many as a more workable alternative to schemes that aim to generate revenue by trading carbon credits, says the article.

PES schemes are on the rise in Kenya thanks to climate change adaptation funding from donors and the national budget. However, with carbon currently priced extremely low, PES schemes may prove more effective than efforts focusing solely on rewarding farmers for increased carbon storage (such as through tree planting or more sustainable practices).

Read the full story: Carbon jitters push rural Kenya toward conservation payments