August 12-13, 2010

Introduction
Climate change is one of the most challenging issues facing humanity today. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has declared in its Fourth Assessment Report that it is unequivocal (IPCC 2007a), evidenced by observed changes in several global and regional climatic indicators. Climate change, defined as any change in the average daily weather pattern over an extended period of time (typically decades or longer) whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity (Easterling et al. 2007, IPCC 2007a), is happening now, and its far reaching consequences to natural ecosystems (IPCC, 2007, Berry, 2007) and human systems (IISD, 2003) are already being felt around the world (IPCC 2007a).

Ecosystems are seen as being particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate variability and change has broad effects on physical and ecological attributes of ecosystem composition, structure, and function at many temporal and spatial scales. It also impacts biological diversity and thereby an ecosystem’s ability to deliver goods and services for human well-being.

To be able to combat climate change, a comprehensive strategy should include adaptation and mitigation.

Ecosystem services (ES) play a central role in both adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Rehabilitation, conservation and management of land-based ecosystems including forestlands and agricultural lands and marine/coastal-based ecosystems providing these indispensable ES should be prioritized in order to deal with climate change. Protection of the forests, for instance, does not only prevent GHG emissions rather it also promotes sustainable supply of water and promote biodiversity conservation that results to increased resilience of the watersheds and the upland communities to the impacts of climate change.

Different ES such as carbon sequestration and storage, watershed protection services, biodiversity conservation and landscape beauty can also merit payments in the local and international markets. A range of mechanisms known broadly as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), provides a framework of incentives covering financing and paying for these ES. PES refer to compensations for service, merit or effort, and/or incentives for maintaining or enhancing ES functions, received by the sellers or paid by the buyers of the ES (van Noordwijk, 2005). PES can be utilized as a not only as a conservation and/or poverty alleviation tool but also as financial instrument for climate change mitigation and adaptation. There is some information on these, however, these are not yet reviewed and documented, hence this workshop.

Objectives of the Conference-Workshop
The primary objectives of the workshop are to:
1. Assess how PES can be utilized as a financial instrument for climate change mitigation and adaptation
2. Demonstrate PES as a conservation and/or poverty alleviation tool and how it can contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation
3. Identify information/policy/implementation gaps and research agenda on PES in the Philippines

Conference-Workshop Outputs.
The workshop will, through multi-stakeholder discussions, provide all partners with the following tangible outputs:
 Assessment of the role of PES in climate change mitigation and adaptation
 Review of PES efforts of GOs, NGOs, ROs, POs, BOs geared towards climate change mitigation and adaptation (e.g. rehabilitation efforts, conservation management, protection management)
 Lessons drawn from the grassroots implementation experiences – case situation from the site
 Best practices highlighted (institutional approaches, technical innovations that are science-based)
 Necessary policy reforms identified for PES implementation in the Philippines
 Framework for institutionalizing PES
 Research agenda on PES
 Workshop Proceedings to be published and distributed.

Partners:

Millennim Development Goals Fund (MDG-F)

ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB)

Conservation International (CI)

Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation Inc. (PTFCF)