The Prospects for Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) in Vietnam: A Look at Three Payment Schemes

• DOI: 10.1007/s10745-012-9480-9
• Publication Date: 2012-03-31T08:34:04Z
• Authors: Phuc Xuan To; Wolfram H. Dressler; Sango Mahanty; Thu Thuy Pham; Claudia Zingerli
• Keywords: Opportunity cost

Global conservation discourses and practices increasingly rely on market-based solutions to fulfill the dual objective of forest economic development. Although varied, these interventions are premised assumption that natural resources most effectively managed preserved while benefiting livelihoods if market-incentives a liberalised economy correctly in place. By examining three nationally supported payment for ecosystem service (PES) schemes Vietnam we show how insecure land tenure, high transaction costs opportunity can undermine long-term benefits PES programmes local households and, hence, potentially threaten their livelihood viability. In many cases, income from does not reach poor because political constraints. Local elite capture through monopolization access forestland existing state forestry management identified as key problems. We argue create market services, such markets must be understood simply bald exchanges between 'rational actors' but rather embedded particular socio-political historical contexts support sustainable use Vietnam.