[en] Payments for ecosystem services (PES) programmes have been considered an important conservation mechanism to avoid deforestation. These environmental policies act in social and ecological contexts at different spatial scales. We evaluated the social-ecological fit between stakeholders and ecosystem processes in a local PES programme across three levels: social, ecological and social-ecological. We explored collaboration among stakeholders, assessed connectivity between forest units and evaluated conservation activity links between stakeholders and forest units. In addition, to increase programme effectiveness, we classified forest units based on their social and ecological importance. Our main findings suggest that non-governmental organizations occupy brokerage positions between landowners and government in a dense collaboration network. We also found a partial spatial misfit between conservation activity links and the forest units that provide the most hydrological services to Xalapa. We conclude that conservation efforts should be directed towards the middle and high part of the Pixquiac sub-watershed and that the role of non-governmental organizations as mediators should be strengthened to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the local PES programme.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Langle-Flores, Alfonso
Aguilar Rodríguez, Adriana; Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de Información Geoespacial > Geopolítica y Territorio > PhD profesor
Romero-Uribe, Humberto
Ros Cuellar, Julia ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Geography and Spatial Planning (DGEO)
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
Multi-level social-ecological networks in a payments for ecosystem services programme in central Veracruz, Mexico
Publication date :
17 October 2020
Journal title :
Environmental Conservation
ISSN :
1469-4387
Publisher :
Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Focus Area :
Sustainable Development
Funders :
CONACYT - Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología [MX]