Descripción del proyecto
GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION ARE TWO OF THE GREATEST ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME, TO PARTIALLY ADDRESS SUCH CHALLENGES, SO-CALLED PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM OR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (PES) PROGRAMS HAVE DISBURSED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF FUNDING TO RURAL COMMUNITIES AND LANDOWNERS IN TROPICAL AND SUB-TROPICAL COUNTRIES, CONDITIONAL ON THE VOLUNTARY CONSERVATION OF STANDING FORESTS AS A MEANS OF PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY AND REDUCING EMISSIONS FROM LAND-USE CHANGE,AS OF TODAY, THERE ARE STILL VERY FEW ANALYSES OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH PROGRAMS WHICH COMPARE SIMILAR NEIGHBORING FORESTS WITH AND WITHOUT PES AND CONTROL FOR CONTEXTUAL VARIABLES, THESE STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE CONSERVATION OF CHANGES IN FOREST COVER OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND THEY HAVE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR PEOPLES MOTIVATIONS FOR FOREST CONSERVATION AND FOR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS AS KEY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCED OR REDUCED CONSERVATION, PARTICULARLY WHEN PAYMENTS END,THIS PROJECT AIMS TO FILL THESE GAPS BY ANALYZING HOW PERMANENT THE EFFECTS OF PES PROGRAMS ON FOREST COVER ARE IN THE LONG TERM AND BY EXPLORING HOW PES PARTICIPANTS MOTIVATIONS AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS EVOLVE AND INFLUENCE SUCH EFFECTS, THE PROJECT WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN TWO REGIONS OF MEXICO AND COLOMBIA, WHICH HOST LONG-STANDING PES PROGRAMS BUT HAVE DIFFERING INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXTS, WE WILL ADOPT A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH THAT INTEGRATES QUANTITATIVE LAND-USE SYSTEM SCIENCE METHODS, SUCH AS GEO-SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF LAND-USE COVER RELYING ON SATELLITE AND CENSUS DATA, WITH BOTH QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS, SUCH AS SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS USING, FOR EXAMPLE, SPATIAL ECONOMETRICS AND OTHER STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES, THE PROJECT WILL ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN SEVERAL WAYS, FIRST, IT WILL SHED LIGHT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE STUDIED PES PROGRAMS, AND IN DOING SO, CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR RE-DESIGN FOR ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT, SECOND, IT WILL REVEAL THE LINKAGES AND INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FOREST COVER, MOTIVATIONS AND THE BROADER INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT WHICH INFLUENCES BOTH SIMULTANEOUSLY, THIRD, AND FINALLY, IT WILL GENERATE A DATABASE OF PEOPLES MOTIVATIONS TO CONSERVE FORESTS AT FAMILY-HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, WHICH CAN BE SUBSEQUENTLY USED AS A BASELINE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH, THE IMPACT OF THE PROJECT ON THE STUDIED PES PROGRAMS, AND ON CONSERVATION SCIENCE MORE GENERALLY, WILL BE GUARANTEED BY WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CORRESPONDENT PES IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES AND NGOS, AS WELL AS BY DEDICATED DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES AT BOTH SCIENTIFIC, POLICY AND COMMUNITY LEVELS, PAGOS POR SERVICIOS AMBIENTALES\CONSERVACION\CAMBIO DE USO DEL SUELO\EFECTIVIDAD\MOTIVACIONES\INSTITUCIONES\MEXICO\COLOMBIA