Payment of environmental services in Costa Rica: evaluating impact and possibilities.

Abstract

Costa Rica has developed a system of payment for environmental services. However, to truly mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases and to preserve its forests in favor of all humanity, the commitment of all countries is necessary to create an international market for the sale of these environmental services. Costa Rica has been a leader among Latin American countries in the design of and development of a system of payment for environmental services. Since 1997, a program locally called Pagos de Servicios Ambientales (known as PSA in Spanish, or Payments for Environmental Services, PES in English), has been providing payments to more than 4,400 farmers and forest owners for reforestation, forest conservation, and sustainable forest management activities.