I plan to explore the documented hydrological impacts of the Payment for Environmental Services Program (PES) in Costa Rica. PES, introduced to Costa Rica in the 1980s by the World Bank, aims to promote a more sustainable relationship between humans and nature as users receive payments for various environmental protection programs globally. Funded by taxes, international donors, and down-stream benefactors, PES is a voluntary service that promotes poverty alleviation, carbon sequestration through forest conservation, as well as increased water quality and availability as its primary objectives. The breadth of Costa Rica’s programs, unlike other countries, implements both forest conservation and water quality provisions for human consumption and hydroelectric generation. The social and economic implications of these programs have been written about extensively justifying the theoretical and economic frameworks underlying the payments. However, the claimed environmental benefits have yet to be thoroughly reviewed. With a specific focus on the hydrologic projects of Costa Rica, I will study the extent to which there is clarity in the water quality PES objectives and the monitoring of expected results. Thus far, there has not been clarification as to what projects designed to improve water quality and availability actually entail, and subsequently attain. To address these issues, I will first look at downstream user and governmental motivations for the sites selected, and if there was prior documented degradation that fostered interest in PES participation for that particular region.[1] Second, I will explore the documented hydrological benefits, or lack thereof, in the region to determine the water and watershed effects from this program.
[1] If they are choosing ecologically sensitive areas that would most prominently benefit or if sites are chosen purely on poverty alleviation/other human factors.
Jessie's High Horse 