The Katoomba Group's Ecosystem Marketplace

Vol. 1, No. 2: June 12, 2006

The Ecosystem Marketplace's Community Forum
Connecting people to ecosystem markets

Carbon continues to be at the forefront of the discussion of ecosystem services. But to what degree is this market an opportunity for community providers in developing countries? From the regulatory body of the Kyoto Protocol to the voluntary markets that are creating quite a stir, the second edition of the Community Forum looks at the interaction between local community carbon providers and carbon buyers spread across the globe.

In stories from the fields of India to a biosphere reserve in Mexico, we highlight communities engaged in the struggle to enter carbon markets as suppliers of a vital resource. We spotlight Pati Ruiz Corzo, a leading practitioner in the field of PES in Mexico, whose experience with carbon markets has spanned years of hard work and commitment to the environment and the communities that surround her. And in this month’s viewpoint, we begin to weave threads of the discussion on pro-poor community based strategies into a larger discussion on payments for ecosystem services (PES) tools.

As this newsletter develops and evolves, we are committed to bringing you the information needed to establish a framework for understanding PES systems and a continual discussion of important considerations and learning from those on the forefront of community-based PES. We encourage your feedback; please send your questions and comments to us at communityforum@ecosystemmarketplace.com.

Carina Bracer
Beto Borges
Amanda Hawn
Ricardo Bayon

Asia: Environmental Service Payments and the Rural Poor in Asia

by Mark Poffenberger

As the concept of paying for the various services provided by ecosystems gains global acceptance, there are some questions surrounding how these markets will affect the rural poor. Based on his organization's experience in Asia—and India in particular—The Ecosystem Marketplace asked Mark Poffenberger to look at these issues, to draw some lessons, and to make some recommendations on how markets for ecosystem services can help communities at the same time that they help protect the environment.

Mexico: Horses for Courses: Voluntary vs. CDM Carbon Projects in Mexico

by Amanda Hawn

Despite its considerable advantages, Mexico has been slower than other Latin American countries to sign purchase agreements for carbon via the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). In March, however, Mexico signed its first emission reductions purchase agreement. At the same time, a local NGO recently sold forestry carbon credits into the voluntary carbon market. The Ecosystem Marketplace looks at what these two deals might tell us about Mexico, the CDM, and the implications of carbon markets for communities in developing countries.

Costa Rica: Organic cacao project changes lives and landscapes in southern Costa Rica

by Ree Strange Sheck

Indigenous people who live in the Talamanca-Bribri Indian Reserve in Costa Rica rehabilitate cacao plantations to increase productivity, protect biodiversity and create a regional market for carbon. The Ecosystem Marketplace gets the scoop on the innovative project.

Tanzania: eBay Shoppers and Subsistence Farmers meet on Virtual Ground

by Amanda Hawn

The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST) is a standout carbon project based on a mix of poverty alleviation and cutting edge technology. The Ecosystem Marketplace highlights TIST's efforts to make the world's carbon markets work for the rural poor and asks the curiously related question: Have eBay shoppers just stumbled across the sustainable development deal of a lifetime?

China: Grain for Green

by Careesa Gee

Historically given short shrift due to the priority placed on agriculture and poverty alleviation, environmental conservation efforts in China may finally have front and center billing with China's Grain-for-Green program. The Ecosystem Marketplace investigates what this uber-ambitious program is all about.

Directing a Symphony for Sustainability: A Profile of Pati Ruiz Corzo

by Amanda Hawn

Achieving sustainability in Mexico can be difficult work. Fortunately, Pati Ruiz Corzo the founder and Director of the Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda is up to the task. For nearly twenty years she has been weaving a tapestry of conservation in central Mexico using people and markets as the warp and woof on which all else depends. The Ecosystem Marketplace visits this indomitable force for good.

Beyond 'Markets': Why Terminology Matters

by Sven Wunder and Maria Teresa Vargas

What is in a name? Does a rose by any other name truly smell as sweet? Aware that terms such as "markets" and "payments for ecosystem services" have encountered resistance in some parts of the world, the Ecosystem Marketplace asked two practitioners based in Latin America to explore how the concept of "markets/payments for ecosystem services" is being perceived in developing countries.

Choosing from the Policy Toolbox

by Carolyn Kousky

As payments for ecosystem services (PES) become an increasingly popular policy tool, Carolyn Kousky at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government tells the Ecosystem Marketplace about her research into when PES should be used and, equally important, when it should not.

Tree Cover Analysis Report

American Forests has developed technology that uses scientific ecological formulas to calculate the value of the services trees provide in terms of the work they do to clean the air and water in your community. This innovative mapping device could be replicated in developing countries for use by community vendors of carbon.

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	-	ABN AMRO
	-	Citigroup
	-	The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
	-	DFID
	-	Forest Trends
	-	IUCN
	-	The Katoomba Group
	-	The Nature Conservancy
	-	PROFOR
	-	RedLAC
	-	Surdna Foundation
	-	USDA Forest Service