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Vol. 1, No. 3: August 23, 2006
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The Ecosystem Marketplace's Community Forum
Connecting people to ecosystem markets
From a discussion focused on ecosystem services in the developing world, to watching the evolving voluntary market in Mexico, and across the ocean to South Africa's innovative water market program, this edition follows some of the most innovative programs focusing on community participation found around the globe. We also profile the people working behind the scenes to invigorate water markets, and check in with Costa Rica's often touted Payments for Ecosystem Services Market.
And, a special announcement from the Katoomba Group: We are also pleased to announce that we will be launching the Tropical America Regional Katoomba Group through a conference jointly sponsored by Forest Trends, the Katoomba Group, and Fundação Getúlio Vargas Center for Sustainability in the city of São Paulo, Brazil in October. The conference will introduce global experiences and advances on ecosystem services from leaders throughout the world. During a Katoomba "Dialogue", community members will engage with NGOs, academics, and the finance community on the topics of deforestation, development, and ecosystem services. We also have a panel specifically on the topic of Communities and Markets, which will bring together actors from all sides of the issue to discuss the essential role of communities in the broader context of ecosystem services. For more information on the conference, please visit: www.katoombagroup.org.
– The Community Forum Team
For comments or questions, please email: communityforum@ecosystemmarketplace.com
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by Amanda Hawn
Following its success with an innovative "Working for Water" program, South Africa has begun experimenting with a whole new approach to conservation and restoration; an approach that has scientists "mapping" ecosystem services and land-users "farming" them. The Ecosystem Marketplace takes a closer look at these recent developments and considers whether or not "trading" will be the next new verb for ecosystem services in the RSA.
by Ricardo Bayon
Last year, the government of Mexico began paying local landowners to maintain forests as a way of protecting local watersheds and ensuring the provision of watershed services. As the program enters its second year, the Ecosystem Marketplace takes a closer look at how the fund has operated, what people are saying about it, and how it is planning to stimulate local markets, not just for water, but also for carbon and biodiversity.
by Jennifer Austin
The Ecosystem Marketplace listens in on a recent meeting in Nairobi for find out what challenges are facing those interested in Compensation for Ecosystem Services schemes in the developing world.
by Cecilia Lartigue
As the world begins to pay more attention to the voluntary carbon market, The Ecosystem Marketplace spotlights a pioneering project in Southern Mexico that has been using a sustainable development model to produce—and sell—carbon offsets for over ten years.
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by Alice Kenny
As a human rights lawyer and long-time political activist, Kadar Asmal might not have seemed the likeliest choice for the post of South Africa's Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry after the fall of apartheid in 1994. Mandela's selection nonetheless proved prescient. By recognizing the connections between healthy people, healthy ecosystems and a healthy economy, Asmal has not only revolutionized water policy in South Africa, but also throughout the world. The Ecosystem Marketplace takes a look at Asmal's revolutionary approach and lasting legacy in the field of ecosystem services.
by Ricardo Bayon
From the Rivers of Colombia to the Highlands of Ecuador, Marta Echavarria, an enterprising environmentalist with a business background, is becoming a leading actor in the creation of systems that pay for watershed conservation services in Latin America.
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The Costa Rican payment for ecosystem services program leverages public-private partnerships to protect and restore forest land. In most instances, private water users contribute one-quarter of the total amount paid to landowners with the other three-quarters coming from the Costa Rican National Forestry Fund that acts as an intermediary between the buyers and sellers.
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