Design rules for successful governmental payments for ecosystem services: Taking agri-environmental measures in Germany as an example

Meyer, Claas; Reutter, Michaela; Matzdorf, Bettina; Sattler, Claudia; Schomers, Sarah

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.03.053

Cited by 60 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…We interpret these findings as indicating that is, in particular, the time-and knowledge-intensive AEMs implementation activities (such as providing information on the effort and time needed to implement measures or selecting the most suitable fields that will be managed in accordance with AEMs) that are currently supported by LCAs to manage a deliberate brokering of AEMs, i.e., to achieve the spatial targeting of measures. The importance of agri-environmental advice for successfully achieving the spatial targeting of AEMs is also found by Meyer et al [66].…”

Section: The Importance Of Agri-environmental Information and Assistancementioning

confidence: 71%

How Local Intermediaries Improve the Effectiveness of Public Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: The Role of Networks and Agri-Environmental Assistance

et al. 2015

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Large governmental payments for ecosystem services programs (PES) have frequently been criticized for their limited environmental effectiveness. The use of local intermediaries has been considered as one possibility for improving the environmental effectiveness of such programs. German Landcare Associations (LCAs) have been identified as one intermediary that holds the potential to positively influence the implementation of agri-environmental measures (AEMs). This paper empirically assesses the involvement of LCAs in the context of AEM implementation in Germany. An online questionnaire was distributed to all LCAs in Germany. In a first step, we examine if LCAs (1) provide social networks between stakeholders and (2) provide agri-environmental information and assistance to farmers. In a second step, the LCAs assess (3) their perception of how strongly their work influences farmers' participation in PES schemes and (4) if they pursue the spatial targeting of AEMs. In a third step, we relate the relative level of social networks and the provision of agri-environmental information and assistance to their stated influence on farmers' participation in and spatial targeting of AEMs. Finally we derive overall conclusions on how intermediaries can enhance the effectiveness of PES programs in general.

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Section: The Importance Of Agri-environmental Information and Assistancementioning

confidence: 71%

How Local Intermediaries Improve the Effectiveness of Public Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: The Role of Networks and Agri-Environmental Assistance

et al. 2015

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“…Heterogeneity of natural, economic, and social conditions can be respected and accounted for, which increases effectiveness [33]: Tailored management regimes can precisely promote certain threatened species [131,160,165] and include altering of constraints or rotation of sites to account for farming requirements like crop rotation [95,160]. Customizing increases chances for finding willing farmers ( [139], see also [166,167]) and allows for efficient payments (cf. [112,145]).…”

Section: Benefits and Opportunities Challenges And Criticismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production-Integrated Compensation in Environmental Offsets—A Review of a German Offset Practice

Druckenbrod

Beckmann

2018

Sustainability

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Environmental offset schemes designed to compensate for adverse development impacts are found in countries worldwide, pursuing no-net-loss policy. In Germany, a practice combining environmental improvements with farming evolved in the early 2000s, known as production-integrated compensation (PIC) (Produktionsintegrierte Kompensation). This paper provides a review of PIC, presenting origins, legal and cost aspects, as well as examples of PIC practice. PIC key challenges are the complexity of environmental improvements of agrarian habitats and the high efforts for communication among diverse actors and for designing and monitoring PIC. Benefits for nature conservation lie in the protection of strongly endangered species and an increase of acceptance of compensation measures. Positive effects for farmers are the sustaining of arable farmland and involvement in setting up land management terms. Investors profit from the increased availability of sites. However, a specific legal framework for PIC is still developing and representation of PIC in offset registries in the German States is only very small. In conclusion, targeted design, continuous monitoring, and long-term financing provided, PIC may (a) increase offset efficiency by focusing on implementation while avoiding land purchase and physical investments and (b) increase offset effectiveness by high conservation benefits and a collaborative approach towards farmers.

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“…In theoretical level, Wunder (Wunder, Brouwer et al 2018) conceptualizes one precondition (ES demand values exceed ES supply costs) as PES foundation which should partly or fully combine with three supplementary preconditions or alternative design features. In empirical level, Meyer et al (Meyer, Reutter et al 2015) first showed that combinations of certain design rules conditioned the success of a governmental payment scheme in Germany. Similarly, our SLCP study shows that the combination effect of certain conditions rather than single conditions alone should be considered.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How socioeconomic and institutional conditions at the household level shape the environmental effectiveness of governmental PES: China’s Sloping Land Conversion Program

Chen¹,

Matzdorf²,

Meyer³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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As the world's largest Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) program, China’s Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) is designed to combat soil erosion and ongoing land degradation by converting crop land on steep slopes into forests. Operating through an incentive-based approach, the SLCP involved 32 million rural households as the core agents for program implementation. In this paper, we aim to fill a research gap regarding the condition for environmental effectiveness at the household level. In particular, we analyzed how institutional and socio-economic conditions influence rural households to reach the primary environmental goals. Based on a broad literature review, we analyzed relevant conditions based on 59 interviews with SLCP participants at the household level to combine these data with field-observed evaluation of the environmental effects on enrolled plots. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), our results show that the pathway to environmental success or failure at the household level has been shaped by local institutional and socio-economic conditions in a combinatory manner. As the key components of successful pathways, the combination of household involvement and effective monitoring plays a fundamental role. However, in the absence of certain conditions, the environmental effectiveness of SLCP may be in danger. Based on our result, we discuss the potentials and shortcomings of using short-term governmental PES to realize long-term environmental effects.

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Design rules for successful governmental payments for ecosystem services: Taking agri-environmental measures in Germany as an example

Cited by 60 publications

References 54 publications

How Local Intermediaries Improve the Effectiveness of Public Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: The Role of Networks and Agri-Environmental Assistance

How Local Intermediaries Improve the Effectiveness of Public Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: The Role of Networks and Agri-Environmental Assistance

Production-Integrated Compensation in Environmental Offsets—A Review of a German Offset Practice

How socioeconomic and institutional conditions at the household level shape the environmental effectiveness of governmental PES: China’s Sloping Land Conversion Program

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