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Determinants of payment for environmental services (PES) in Maasin Watershed Forest Reserve, Iloilo, Philippines
Dissertation Abstract:
Watersheds play vital environmental, economic, and social roles in the lives and prosperity of communities dependent on them. Presently, many Philippine watersheds are in critical condition, experiencing loss of forests and biodiversity, severe soil erosion, erratic streamflow, diminishing groundwater resource, and declining land productivity. Hence, innovative and alternative strategies like payment for environmental services (PES) are considered to protect and sustainably manage the watersheds. PES is a market-based approach to conservation financing that links efforts of both environmental service providers and beneficiaries.
This study assessed the critical preconditions of PES in Maasin Watershed Forest Reserve (MWFR). The biophysical determinants were analyzed using BROOK90 Hydrologic Model and remote sensing. The economics and institutional preconditions were determined through survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions.
Findings showed that at present, MWFR’s water yield, given its land cover, precipitation, and other geomorphologic characteristics, could still sustain its water provisioning ecosystems function. Upland farmers have shown willingness to participate in PES based on their opportunity cost to forego current farming practices. The institutional and legal policies for stakeholders to engage in PES seem favorable. The study concluded that positive dynamic interplay of the factors identified together with good environmental governance could make PES workable in MWFR.