Payments for environmental services and community-level socioeconomic wellbeing: Comparing programs in Vietnam and Australia

Abstract

The success of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) programs depend crucially on local conditions, although some considerations can help make PES schemes more successful in any locale. Many PES programs are in their infancy yet have ambitious goals for environmental preservation and poverty alleviation. Monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of PES programs can provide insights into how they can best achieve these goals. This research adds to existing PES case studies by evaluating new data on one village's participation in a World Wildlife Fund PES scheme. A village in central Vietnam was visited and the Administrative Chief of the village was interviewed to gauge the success of the PES scheme in that village. The comments from the Vietnamese village were then compared to written and verbal accounts of the Working on Country program in Australia to elucidate factors that can make PES schemes successful. This comparison revealed four key factors that can improve the outcomes of PES schemes. Community involvement in the design, implementation and evaluation of projects is crucial. Furthermore, the monetary remuneration that the community receives should be adequate. In addition, PES schemes are particularly successful when the community receives non-monetary benefits, such as social or cultural benefits, from participating in the program. Finally, the involvement of outside organisations, including the state, needs to be adequate and appropriate to ensure positive socioeconomic outcomes for the communities involved.