Environmental Services Project

The project objective is to improve the provision of environmental services that bring both national benefits (primarily water services) and global benefits (primarily increased biodiversity conservation) by strengthening and expanding existing programs for payment of environmental services (PES) related to water (PSAH) and to carbon captures and biodiversity (CABSA) as well as supporting the establishment of new local PES mechanisms. The project will ensure that only sites with globally significant biodiversity will receive GEF funds under the national or local programs, in the project area. Furthermore, all land management systems with PES support under the project (from any funding source) will be biodiversity-friendly. All eight of the pilot sites where PES systems would be established, strengthened, or continued under the project are chosen to overlap with at least two of the following high-priority biodiversity conservation designations: (i) existing Natural Protected Areas; (ii) Priority Terrestrial Ecoregions established by CONABIO; (iii) Important Bird Areas that are vital to the survival of endemic species or to protecting key bird breeding, feeding, and migration areas; and (iv) Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance.