The perceptions about payment schemes for ecosystem services: Study case of the San Miguel and Santo Tomás Ajusco community, Mexico

Perevochtchikova, María; Negrete, Iskra Alejandra Rojo

doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.04.002

Cited by 22 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…However, PES benefits are not always homogeneously distributed among beneficiaries, as there are negative consequences for some community inhabitants (e.g. non-covered opportunity costs, non-voluntary participation or restrictions on activities that sustain their livelihoods) that generate tensions inside communities (Perevochtchikova & Rojas-Negrete, 2015). Therefore, and according to our results, considering communities as homogeneous units and assuming that costs and benefits are evenly distributed are problematic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there may be wide variation between community members regarding their attitudes towards conservation and their knowledge about PES (Cinner et al . 2012; Perevochtchikova & Rojas-Negrete 2015). Evidence suggests that information about PES may be concentrated in local community authorities, while ordinary beneficiaries often lack awareness of the programme's most important implementation principles (Engel et al 2008; Neitzel et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Not the same for everyone: Community views of Mexico's payment for environmental services programmes

et al. 2017

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SUMMARYConservation policies have often been designed and implemented assuming that targeted communities are socially and politically homogeneous. Payment for environmental services (PES) programmes have often overlooked intra-community differences, which affect the understanding of implementation requirements and access to benefits, thus underestimating their effects on the programme's legitimacy and impacts. We explore how the views of local communities about the socio-environmental performance and dynamics of Mexico's PES differ within forest communities, considering two groups: local community authorities and the remaining beneficiaries in two different PES programmes. Informed by a nationwide survey, we constructed 35 indicators and found significant differences between these groups for 10 indicators. Local community authorities concentrated knowledge and information, relations with outside actors and control over benefit distribution. We found that community authorities and beneficiaries diverged in their views about the extent to which PES knowledge is shared across community members, how related implementation decisions are pursued and the fairness of benefit distribution, which we argue suggests this is a form of ‘elite capture’ favoured by PES design and implementation. Efforts should be invested in ensuring that PES programme benefits are equitably distributed in order to avoid widening pre-existing social and political asymmetries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%