Abstract
This chapter outlines the evolution of Mexico’s payments for hydrological services program from its inception through the first 2 years of the program’s implementation. Background information on forests, deforestation, and potential environmental services provide context for a political economy analysis of the path the program traveled through Mexico’s legislative and administrative structures. We also analyze the characteristics of the recipients during the first 2 years, including results from a survey of participants and community case studies. A final section extracts lessons from the Mexican experience, including possible alternative program designs to address some of the problems encountered in its implementation.
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Notes
- 1.
1Note that this chapter reviews the program through 2005. The Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE) is currently undertaking an updated review of the program. Also note that since the implementation of the PSA-H, several other federal and local programs to conserve environmental services have begun in Mexico, and the administration has changed.
- 2.
2This section is a summary of the analysis conducted by Josefina Braña Varela and María Zorilla Ramos. All monetary references are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
- 3.
3The studies were conducted by Adán Martínez Cruz, Josefina Braña Varela, and Jaime Sainz Santamaría.
- 4.
4See by analogy the discussion on incentive effects from cash transfers versus. CCT for education under Progresa (de Janvry & Sadoulet, 2006).
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Acknowledgments
This document is based upon a report prepared for Randy Stringer formerly at the Comparative Studies Service Agricultural and Development Economics Division, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The work was coordinated by Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet, professors at the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California at Berkeley. The Political Economy section is largely based on the contribution by Josefina Braña Varela and Maria Zorilla Ramos. Fieldwork for the study cases was coordinated by Jaime Sainz, Adán Martínez, and Josefina Braña.
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Alix-Garcia, J., Janvry, A., Sadoulet, E., Manuel, J. (2009). Lessons Learned from Mexico’s Payment for Environmental Services Program. In: Lipper, L., Sakuyama, T., Stringer, R., Zilberman, D. (eds) Payment for Environmental Services in Agricultural Landscapes. Natural Resource Management and Policy, vol 31. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-72971-8_8
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