This 5th video of the series on PROGRESS Good Practices, selected in the 3rd PROGRESS Workshop in May 2021, is dedicated to a proposal for a payment for ecosystem services developed as part of the Horizon 2020 project Spurring INnovations for forest eCosystem sERvices in Europe (SINCERE), by the Centre de la Propietat Forestal (Forest Ownership Centre in Catalonia).
Forest owners recognise themselves as the lever of the change they want to see in their forests. The video shows in a clear way the idea of ecosystem services, and how forest management contributes in preserving them.
Teresa Baiges, Technical coordinator of the Catalan case study
The video explains the process to reach a consensus, and written recognition in a legal document, of the role of forestry in water and landscape conservation, and the recognition of forestry as a relevant economic activity in the area that can be promoted along with tourism. To achieve so, a participatory process has been implemented with all key stakeholders in the water, forests, and land planning sectors. The co-designed “Forest for water Fund”, proposed as part of the “Urbanistic Masterplan of the water reservoir (PDU)”, opens the door for recognising the concept of Forest Ecosystem Services linked to water and the need for societal co-responsibility in maintaining them. This idea and the design process could be replicated in other places across Europe as the video encourages.
Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is not an easy concept to explain, less in a short animated video. We believe we have quite succeeded with it, quoting Teresa Baiges again:
“It was difficult to summarize in 2 minutes all the work done to stress the relevance of a common planning for water and forests in the Mediterranean, and this animated video has done it!
More detailed and technical information can be found at PROGRESS Handbook 3 and at the SINCERE webpage.
Now see the video and check the result by yourself!
