Evolution of payment initiatives for water environmental services in Brazil

Abstract

Payment initiatives for water-focused environmental services (water PES – payment for environmental services) have been expanding throughout Latin America and in Brazil – in that last country, especially since the creation of the Water Producer Program in 2006, by the National Water Agency. This study aimed to outline the evolution of water PES in the period from 2011 to 2014 in Brazil. Water PES initiatives have been identified, classified and mapped according to their stage of performance, based on data obtained from sites and interviews with non-governmental and governmental organizations (federal, state and municipal) related to these initiatives. The number of water PES initiatives increased from 42 in 2011 to 52 in 2014. In general, they are evolving in terms of the stage of performance, but many have faced difficulties, mainly due to the discontinuity of the source of funds for payment. It was concluded that the information on the water PES initiatives in Brazil, when they exist, is diffuse, and that they are progressively evolving in Brazil and expanding to other biomes beyond the Atlantic Forest, but still with several gaps that need to be addressed.