Payment for ecosystem services (PES) for pastoralists

Payment for ecosystem services (PES) is gaining popularity as an environmental and development policy tool. There have been important experiences in implementing PES in crop farming and forestry, but PES has seldom been applied for pastoralists in the rangelands. The study “Operationalizing payments for ecosystem services for pastoralists in rangeland settings” by Linda Pappagallo (2018, 80pp), commissioned by the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock, examines the trade-offs, barriers and opportunities that can be expected from PES schemes for pastoralists in the rangelands. It includes references to PES deals in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, such as the Wildlife Lease Program for pastoralists south of Nairobi National Park.

The study addresses the complexities of pastoral systems – the political, legal, institutional, social, environmental and financial aspects that determine PES scheme design – and critically examines these factors. While PES schemes may offer an opportunity to bridge pastoral livelihood systems with provision of rangeland ecosystem services, the variability of its impact as a tool calls for careful context-specific assessments. This study produced a preliminary scoping protocol, designed to guide practitioners to unearth and evaluate the risks and opportunities of PES schemes in different pastoral contexts. It offers resources, case-study examples, tools and complementary solutions to help practitioners overcome some of the challenges to PES implementation.

The PASTRES blog “Can pastoralists benefit from payments for ecosystem services?” discusses the main findings of the study.

Posted on 21 October 2018 in Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Value of Pastoralism