Réseau universitaire international de Genève
Geneva International Academic Network

Français | English
Homepage > Research > Projects > Description

Understanding Demand for International Payments for Ecosystem Services (IPES)

Small Grant

Keywords

Biodiversity - Conservation - International Payments for Ecosystem Services (IPES) - Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)

Summary

Although a recent policy tool, Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are considered by some to be "the most promising innovation since Rio 1992". While PES schemes are flourishing in many countries around the world - ranging from watershed to 'bioprospecting' deals - it appears as though the model has a limited applicability at the global level (the existing market for carbon credits stands out as an exception). Biodiversity loss is an international problem comparable to that of climate change in the scale of global change and the urgency required in finding ways to halt its continuation. However, it has yet to benefit from the innovative environmental policy tool of PES. It is thus important to explore the potential that an international PES scheme might have for supporting biodiversity conservation efforts around the world.

As climate concerns become increasingly present in public and private enterprises, there is a real opportunity for conservation and sustainability efforts to benefit from a growing environmental awareness in public and commercial spheres. The concept of 'reducing GHG emissions through avoided deforestation and forest degradation' (REDD) links forest conservation with climate concerns. This project will seek to identify how PES can channel the growing interest in the carbon market into conservation and sustainable land-use projects.

One specific project objective will include an analysis of the potential for scaling up PES to the international level and its potential as a tool for linking biodiversity protection and climate change issues. Secondly, in order to understand how IPES could potentially use awareness of climate change to tap into the demand for biodiversity, the attitudes and perceptions of private individuals driving the demand for functioning forest 'ecosystem services' need to be adequately assessed. The public willingness to pay for the preservation of ecosystems that have global significance is an essential component of this analysis. The primary research activity under this proposed project is a large-scale...

The grant provided by the GIAN for this project totals SFr 50,000

> See longer summary

Project Team

Prof. Andrea Baranzini , Principal Member, High School of Management, Geneva .

Prof. Emmanuel Fragnière , Principal Member, High School of Management, Geneva .

Dr. Markus Lehmann , Principal Member, Convention on Biological Biodiversity (CBD) .

Prof. Jean Tuberosa , Principal Member, High School of Management, Geneva .

Research Output

Understanding the Private Demand for International Ecosystem Services
(available in English only)
> more