Making markets for forest communities: linking communities, markets and conservation in the Asia-Pacific region—The RUPES project

摘要

Current thinking is that market oriented approaches to forest management are going to provide an efficient mechanism for promoting and financing forest protection and sustainable forest management. However, linked with the continuing degradation of forest ecosystems in the tropics is the issue of poverty. In Asia, nearly one quarter of the absolute poor (some 250 million people) eke out a meager existence in upland areas and most depend directly on a mixture of agriculture and forest resources for their livelihoods. They live in contexts where their natural resource base is rapidly deteriorating. Many upland and mountain communities in Asia manage landscapes that provide environmental services to outside beneficiaries, but without sharing in the benefits of those services. Clear opportunities are now emerging in this respect. However, the current successes in environmental transfer payments have only benefited large landowners and concessionaires. In addition there is a danger that some types of transfer payment mechanisms that are currently evolving arc being designed and implemented to the disadvantage of the upland poor. Rewarding Upland Poor for Environmental Services (RUPES) is a programme to develop appropriate methods for rewarding the poor upland communities for the environmental services that they provide. The RUPES Programme will build working models of best practices for successful environmental transfer agreements adapted to the Asian context. The programme will look at whom the rewards should go to, who will pay the rewards, how and in what form they would be collected and what amount or form is appropriate. This paper provides the rationale for the RUPES project and how it has and will contribute to linking upland communities, markets and conservation of ecosystem services in the Asian region.