Topic Introduction

Ecosystem service approach to forest management is relatively a new emerging paradigm that redefines objectives and methods of forest management. It brings holistic and integrated management of forests that enhances synergy and mitigates trade-off between forest sustainability and livelihoods benefits. This topic highlights the importance of ecosystem services approach and identifies strategies that help increase synergy between productivity and sustainability of forest management. It also introduces the strategies, including a market-based payment mechanism to incentivise communities for forest conservation.

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Highlight the importance of ES approach to forest resources management.
• Identify a potential area of cooperation and conflict between upstream and downstream communities.
• Explain diverse existing payment mechanisms for linking livelihood enhancement and conservation.

Topic Readings

The required readings will be drawn from open books, which can be freely downloaded by students without having to worry about copyright issues. There will be optional readings that students might want to purchase for digging deeper into the topic; essential information from all readings will be encapsulated in the courses’ Module Notebook.

Required Readings

• Paudyal, K., Baral, H., Lowell, K., Keenan, R.J., 2017. Ecosystem services from community-based forestry in Nepal: Realising local and global benefits. Land Use Policy 63, 342–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.01.046 Links to an external site. (Section 3.2)
• Fisher, J.A., Patenaude, G., Giri, K., Lewis, K., Meir, P., Pinho, P., Rounsevell, M.D.A., Williams, M., 2014. Understanding the relationships between ecosystem services and poverty alleviation: A conceptual framework. Ecosystem Services 7, 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.08.002 Links to an external site.
• Muradian, R., Corbera, E., Pascual, U., Kosoy, N., May, P.H., 2010. Reconciling theory and practice: An alternative conceptual framework for understanding payments for environmental services. Ecological Economics 69, 1202–1208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.11.006 Links to an external site. 
• Nepal, S., Flügel, W.-A., Shrestha, A.B., 2014. Upstream–downstream linkages of hydrological processes in the Himalayan region. Ecological Processes 3, 19 (open access).
• Module 3 Notebook Download Module 3 Notebook

Optional Readings

• Sunderlin, W.D., Angelsen, A., Belcher, B., Burgers, P., Nasi, R., Santoso, L., Wunder, S., 2005. Livelihoods, forests, and conservation in developing countries: An Overview. World Development 33, 1383–1402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.10.004 Links to an external site. 
• Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC.
• Wunder, S., 2015. Revisiting the concept of payments for environmental services. Ecological Economics 117, 234–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.08.016 Links to an external site. 
• Paudyal, K., Baral, H., Bhandari, S., Keenan, R.J., 2018. Design considerations in supporting payments for ecosystem services from community-managed forests in Nepal. Ecosystem Services 20, 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.01.016 Links to an external site. 

Fundamental Concepts

• Holistic management and multiple benefits from forests
• Recognition and appreciation of ecosystem services
• Upstream and downstream linkage in the context of sediment retention and water (conflict and cooperation)
• Incentivised management of ecosystem services
• Payment mechanism (e.g. REDD+, PES etc.)

Video Lectures

Lesson 3.3 - 10 minutes

Note: To view Interactive Video on Lesson 3.3 (SCORM), use Firefox to access and open it.

Self-test Quiz

After viewing video lectures, take 10 minutes now to take the self-check quiz at Online Self-test 3.3.

Activities & Assignments

Online Discussions

Online Forum 3.3: Peer Review and refinement of situational analysis by including aspects such as livelihood arrangements, access, and benefits.

Instructions:

1. During the first three days of the week, comment on at least two of your peers’ situational analysis posts.   Only comment on those peers with two comments or less.
2. During days 4-7, after getting comments from your peers, improve your situational analysis by adding the following details. 

1. 1. The current management of benefits derived by communities from ES services and how they are recognized by the stakeholders.
   2. The current payment scheme in place for these ES and how it can be improved.
   3. How you can use the ES approach to improve the situation in the forest and in the communities benefiting from the forest’s ES.

Topic Summary

The topic introduced the ecosystem service approach and showed how this would enhance the sustainability of forests and its livelihoods benefits. It also introduced some of the strategies, including a payment for ecosystem services (PES) that produces a synergy between forests management and livelihoods outcomes.

Topic Self-review (Optional)

Use the following self-reflection questions as a study guide to conducting your self-review for the topic.

1. What are major benefits of the ecosystem service approach to forest management?
2. Considering a watershed, you live in or around you, what are major issues of cooperation and conflict between upstream and downstream people?
3. Do you think some payment mechanisms (in kind or cash) such as PES, REDD+ establish better coordinating mechanism between upstream and downstream people in forest management? Explain based on your experience from the nearby forest of your watershed.