Two sides of a coin: Analyzing benefits and limitations of payment for water ecosystem services in Lima´s water fund
(2019) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20192LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
- Abstract
- Payment for water ecosystem services has been gaining attention in Latin America because of the direct response for environmental conservation through economic mechanisms. By connecting nature services with people who benefit from them, it creates a sustainable intervention for the ecosystem’s management while enhancing human well-being according to policy implementers. Nevertheless, these initiatives face obstacles to fulfill sustainable development characteristics. Using the case of the water fund in Lima as an example of PWS for watershed preservation, this research analyzes the sustainability scope of this market-based solution for protecting water ecosystems and the services they bring.
For that purpose, the case study is based on... (More) - Payment for water ecosystem services has been gaining attention in Latin America because of the direct response for environmental conservation through economic mechanisms. By connecting nature services with people who benefit from them, it creates a sustainable intervention for the ecosystem’s management while enhancing human well-being according to policy implementers. Nevertheless, these initiatives face obstacles to fulfill sustainable development characteristics. Using the case of the water fund in Lima as an example of PWS for watershed preservation, this research analyzes the sustainability scope of this market-based solution for protecting water ecosystems and the services they bring.
For that purpose, the case study is based on newsletters, strategic plans, websites’ information, regulation documents, utility’s master plan, and water tariff’s study. The data collected is combined with a sustainable development theory analysis to provide a discussion that focuses on the benefits of having PWS as an environmental conservation response and the critiques that arise when trying to reach sustainable development features including a social, economic and environmental perspective. I found that not all of the benefits are included when using these mechanisms while some of the disadvantages are overcome through efforts already generated between stakeholders. Therefore, the market instrument could be considered a sustainable answer for governments, communities and private actors related directly or not with the ecosystem’s conservation; however, there is room for improvement to achieve a closer sustainable development. (Less) - Abstract (Spanish)
- Los pagos por servicios hídricos han ganado atención en Latinoamérica debido a la respuesta directa para conservar el medio ambiente a través de mecanismos económicos. Al conectar los servicios ecosistémicos con las personas que se benefician de ellos se crea una intervención sostenible para el manejo de los ecosistemas mientras se mejora el bienestar humano, de acuerdo con los hacedores de políticas. Sin embargo, estas iniciativas enfrentan obstáculos para satisfacer por completo características de desarrollo sostenible. Utilizando el caso de los fondos de agua en Lima como ejemplo de pagos por servicios hídricos para conservación de cuencas, esta investigación analiza el alcance a la sostenibilidad de estas soluciones basadas en el... (More)
- Los pagos por servicios hídricos han ganado atención en Latinoamérica debido a la respuesta directa para conservar el medio ambiente a través de mecanismos económicos. Al conectar los servicios ecosistémicos con las personas que se benefician de ellos se crea una intervención sostenible para el manejo de los ecosistemas mientras se mejora el bienestar humano, de acuerdo con los hacedores de políticas. Sin embargo, estas iniciativas enfrentan obstáculos para satisfacer por completo características de desarrollo sostenible. Utilizando el caso de los fondos de agua en Lima como ejemplo de pagos por servicios hídricos para conservación de cuencas, esta investigación analiza el alcance a la sostenibilidad de estas soluciones basadas en el mercado para la protección de ecosistemas hídricos y los servicios que estos brindan.
Para este propósito, el estudio de caso está basado en boletines, planes estratégicos, información de páginas web, documentos regulatorios, planes maestros y estudios tarifarios. Los datos recolectados se combinan con un análisis de teorías de desarrollo sostenible para proporcionar una discusión que se enfoca en los beneficios de tener los pagos por servicios hídricos como una respuesta de conservación ambiental y las críticas que surgen cuando se intenta alcanzar atributos de desarrollo sostenible, incluyendo perspectivas sociales, económicas y ambientales. Encontré que no todos los beneficios se encuentran incluidos cuando se utilizan estos mecanismos mientras que algunas de las desventajas son superadas a través de esfuerzos generados entre actores relevantes. Por ello, el instrumento de mercado puede ser considerado como una respuesta sostenible para gobiernos, comunidades y actores privados relacionados directamente o no con la conservación de ecosistemas; no obstante, existe espacio para mejora con el fin de alcanzar un desarrollo sostenible más ajustado. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8996860
- author
- Cespedes Davalos, Maria LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MESM02 20192
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- ecosystem services, PWS, sustainability science, human welfare, assessment, Lima
- publication/series
- Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
- report number
- 2019:041
- language
- English
- additional info
- The paper was realized with the sponsorship from the Swedish Institute Study Scholarships program.
- id
- 8996860
- date added to LUP
- 2019-10-22 13:10:07
- date last changed
- 2019-10-22 13:10:07
@misc{8996860,
abstract = {{Payment for water ecosystem services has been gaining attention in Latin America because of the direct response for environmental conservation through economic mechanisms. By connecting nature services with people who benefit from them, it creates a sustainable intervention for the ecosystem’s management while enhancing human well-being according to policy implementers. Nevertheless, these initiatives face obstacles to fulfill sustainable development characteristics. Using the case of the water fund in Lima as an example of PWS for watershed preservation, this research analyzes the sustainability scope of this market-based solution for protecting water ecosystems and the services they bring.
For that purpose, the case study is based on newsletters, strategic plans, websites’ information, regulation documents, utility’s master plan, and water tariff’s study. The data collected is combined with a sustainable development theory analysis to provide a discussion that focuses on the benefits of having PWS as an environmental conservation response and the critiques that arise when trying to reach sustainable development features including a social, economic and environmental perspective. I found that not all of the benefits are included when using these mechanisms while some of the disadvantages are overcome through efforts already generated between stakeholders. Therefore, the market instrument could be considered a sustainable answer for governments, communities and private actors related directly or not with the ecosystem’s conservation; however, there is room for improvement to achieve a closer sustainable development.}},
author = {{Cespedes Davalos, Maria}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
title = {{Two sides of a coin: Analyzing benefits and limitations of payment for water ecosystem services in Lima´s water fund}},
year = {{2019}},
}