How to pay for water environmental service? A review of brazilian experiences

Abstract

The number of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) programs focused on water services has increased substantially, including in Brazil. Although the PES has the potential to increase the supply of environmental resources and services, the real gains depend on the design of the schemes. and in Brazil there is a variety of methodological possibilities for this payment. In this sense, this research systematized the criteria that guide the operationalization of Brazilian payment programs for water services at national and sub-national levels, and that act as a selection filter for supplier areas, for producers benefited and for payment amounts practiced. Despite the multiple variables involved in PES programs that guarantee an interdisciplinary and systemic approach to the Brazilian experiences, there are common methodological patterns. Several initiatives prioritize: (1) family farmers as target audience and producers who own the land; (2) properties with mandatorily protected areas that are fenced and well maintained or in the process of being restored, with permanent preservation areas as priority; (3) properties located in an area of environmental / water relevance and that have springs in their limits; (4) the opportunity cost of the land to define the value of the hectare paid for areas destined to the PES. In general, the programs prioritize variables that influence the protection of the hydrological cycle as a whole, the regulating service, not only in the measurement of gains in the water provisioning service. The PES instrument represents a great opportunity for the environmental adaptation of rural properties in Brazil, where initiatives should be encouraged to adopt the adaptive methodological process based on their own learning and other experiences already incurred.