Scientific Publication

Integrating agroecology with Payment for Ecosystem Services in Santa Catarina's Atlantic Forest

author(s) Schmitt, A. - Farley, J. - Alvez, J. - Alarcon, G. - Rebollar, P.
from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
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themes
regions
  • South America
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Americas
  • World
citation

Schmitt A., Farley J., Alvez J., Alarcon G., Rebollar P.M. (2013) Integrating Agroecology with Payments for Ecosystem Services in Santa Catarina’s Atlantic Forest. In: Muradian R., Rival L. (eds) Governing the Provision of Ecosystem Services. Studies in Ecological Economics, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht

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Abstract

There are no longer acceptable trade-offs between agriculture and ecosystem services: Both are essential and at risk. Agroecology may be uniquely capable of providing both. However, there are real costs to promoting agroecology that someone must pay, but any payment scheme must recognize that many of the services provided as well as the resources required to provide them are both public goods. Payments to individual farmers do little to provide these services, especially if they are contingent upon provision. Public sector investments are required. Since the public goods provided by these investments cross political boundaries, payments for these investments should flow from those governments or collective institutions that benefit to those that will provide the services, supplementing resources invested by the latter

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