RUPES-ICRAF Philippines scientists, Dr Rodel Lasco and Grace Villamor, wrote an article portraying the experience of the Philippines in payments for carbon storage and watershed protection in a recently published book “Sustainability Science for Watershed Landscapes” by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).

Abstract: There is a rising interest globally in payments for ecological services (PES) as a way of promoting sustainable development. In this paper, we share the experience of the Philippines in payments for carbon storage and watershed protection. There are several projects on carbon sequestration in varying stages of design and implementation, most of which are in the planning stage. The initial lessons regard the country's potential for carbon sequestration projects, the insufficiency of carbon payments to cover the full cost of plantation development, and the high transaction cost that have limited the participation of local residents. Payments for watershed protection were more advanced. Several projects, meanwhile, are ongoing. The value of water was more easily recognized at the local and national levels. However, most of the payments did not satisfy the requirements for full-fledged PES.

More articles from the book:

TITLE: SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE FOR WATERSHED LANDSCAPES
EDITORS: James Roumasset, Kimberly M. Burnett, Arsenio Molina Balisacan, editors
PUBLICATION: 2010

THEME 1: SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND POLICY
1. Economic Policy for Sustainable Development vs. Greedy Growth and Preservationism, by Majah-Leah V Ravago James Roumasset Arsenio Molina Balisacan
2. Integrated Watershed Management: Trees, Aquifers, Reefs, and Mud, by Sittidaj Pongkijvorasin James Roumasset
3. Transdisciplinary Research in Watershed Conservation: Experiences, Lessons, and Future Directions, by Chieko Umetsu Makoto Taniguchi Tsugihiro Watanabe Shigeo Yachi
4. Payments for Ecological Services: Experiences in Carbon and Water Payments in the Philippines, by Rodel D. Lasco Grace B Villamor

THEME 2: MONITORING AND MODELLING
5. Cyberinfrastructure for Sustainability in Coupled Human-Environment Systems, by Micheal H Kido Kenneth Y Kaneshiro Kevin N Montgomery
6. Watershed Management for Sustainability in Tropical Watersheds: An Integrated Hydrologic Modelling Approach, by Ali Fares
7. Watershed Assessment, Restoration, and Protection in Hawai'i, by Aly I El-Kadi Monica Mira

THEME 3: PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES
8. Landscape-Scale Conservation: Fostering Partnerships through Ecosystem Service Approaches, by Rebecca L Goldman Gretchen C Daily
9. A Participatory Approach to Community Resource Management: Building Upon Local Knowledge and Concerns, by James B Friday Harold J McArthur Jr.

THEME 4: CASE STUDIES
10. Changing Land Use in the Golden Triangle: Where the Rubber Meets the Road, by Maite Guardiola-Claramonte Jefferson M Fox Thomas W Giambelluca Peter A Troch
11. Effects of Feral Pigs (Sus scrofa) on Watershed Health in Hawai'i: A Literature Review and Preliminary Results on Runoff and Erosion, by Gregory L Bruland Chad A Browning Carl I Evensen
12. Sustainable Water Quality Management for Pacific Island Watersheds: Illustrations from American Samoa, Hawai'i, and Micronesia, by Carl I Evensen
13. The Transboundary Management of Groundwater Resources in Kumamoto, Japan, by Jun Shimada

SYNTHESIS
14. Sustainability Science: Overview and Directions for Further Research, by Kimberly M. Burnett James Roumasset

Find more details about this publication here.