Practical experiences with payments for ecosystem services

Background

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes link the beneficiaries, or 'users', of nature's services with the stewards, or 'providers', of those services in order to protect or enhance them. Further in formation on PES is available elsewhere on this website, along with summaries of various projects to research and test PES in practice. On 29th November 2013, the Ecosystems Knowledege Network held a workshop in Manchester to share the lessons learned with PES so far. Over seventy participants from local authorities, consultancies, the third sector and academia heard from the practical experiences of various PES pilots sponsored by Defra.

Presentations

Introduction

Background to PES pilots. Colin Smith, Defra.

Pilots with a lowland and rural focus

The Tortworth Brook Project. Mark Everard, Bristol Avon Rivers Trust. Fowey River Improvement Project (reverse auction trial). Brett Day, University of East Anglia. Cotswolds PES pilot. Jenny Phelps, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Gloucestershire.

Pilots with an upland focus

The Pumlumon Project. Clive Faulkner and Liz Lewis-Reddy, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust. Visitor Payback. Sophie Cade, Nurture Lakeland. South Pennines (carbon metrics for blanket bog). Emily Taylor, Crichton Carbon Centre.

Pilots with an urban and peri-urban focus

North Hull PES pilot. Steve Wragg, Hull City Council. Improving the River Lea in Luton. Tim Brewer and Hayley Shaw, Cranfield University. Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Rachel Brisley, JBA Consulting. Poole Harbour. Jack Rhodes, RSPB. In addition, Pat Snowdon from the Forestry Commission gave a presentation on the Woodland Carbon Code.

Briefing material

All participants were provided with a briefing note on the objectives and background to the event.

Previous Network workshop on this topic

The workshop in Manchester was preceded by another workshop on payments for ecosystem services, held in Bristol in April 2013. This included an introduction to the Guide on PES that was published on the same day. A description of the event, including videos of presentations is available.