Payment for water-ecosystem services monitoring in Brazil

Abstract

The reduction of tropical forests has generated a loss of ecosystem services across the globe. In Brazil, essential biomes related to water provision (such as the Atlantic Forest and Savanna) have been degraded, compromising water-ecosystem services. Payment for water-ecosystem services (water PES) has been implemented as a tool to stimulate changes in the use and management of these areas. Many water PES projects have emerged in Brazil using forest restoration, aiming to improve water ecosystem services. In this context, this study identified the types of monitoring carried out in Brazilian water PES projects, to include their main characteristics and gaps. Five Brazilian projects were selected for analysis as case studies. Interviews were then conducted with stakeholders to get current data on their monitoring practices. The data from the literature review, case study approach, and interviews were analyzed from the perspective of monitoring guides recommendations. Different aspects were analyzed, such as objectives, institutional arrangements, type of monitoring, indicators, and frequency of monitoring. The study indicates that there is a lack of standardized methods, making it difficult to specify the results of the implemented actions. The central gap is related to benefit monitoring. It is necessary to establish a holistic monitoring system, dealing with the ecosystem as a complex socio-ecological system. Some perspectives to solve the problems were proposed. The results of this work may help not only improve the current and future PES schemes in Brazil but also in other countries, especially developing ones, where vulnerable populations depend upon them.

Evaluating Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in Peri-Urban Areas

“…In the first five years of project operation, USD 1.6 million was invested. In total, 4562 hectares of conservation areas and 564 hectares of restored area are now included in the follow-up monitoring, which is supported by 70 rural landowners [29][30][31][32][33][34].…”

“…In Brazil, interviews and meetings were conducted with relevant stakeholders who are currently working on monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the NBS project. In addition, reports and academic literature were consulted [29][30][31][32][33]. In Norway, the context was assessed by drawing upon reports and publicly available databases.…”

Quali-quantitative evidence on water quality by a governance process with payment for environmental services in a water supply watershed

“…The biggest challenges in developing mechanisms for PES programs have been the slow process in building confidence between that who pays and the one who receives, as well as being clear on additional gains between the parties (Asquith et al, 2008). Furthermore, holistic monitoring that deals with the ecosystem as a complex socio-economic system is necessary (Lima et al, 2021). In the Brazilian Midwest, in the Guariroba Environmental Protection Area, preliminary results showed that the baseflow tended to increase and soil conservation practices reduced the soil erosion by a quarter, results which were positive for water availability and considering the particularities of land use combined with water supply characteristics of the reservoir (Sone et al, 2019).…”