The PRESA project is halfway through its life as of August 2010. We have received many inquiries on what PRESA is doing at its sites.

Since inception, PRESA has conducted baseline analysis, socio-economic surveys and assessments of potential environmental services. The surveys were done with the help of site partners and student researchers. This article is a summary of the key findings of that work.

Uganda

Current and potential payment for environmental services schemes in three landscapes: Mobuku, Kalinzu Kasyoha–Kitomi and Budongo–Bugoma, Uganda

This report describes schemes / projects that undertake activities aimed at responsible and proportionate sharing of benefits from ecological systems. These include carbon offsetting, water resource management, collaborative forest management, collaborative wildlife conservation and benefit sharing and ecotourism initiatives.

The study concluded that prospects for payments for environmental services (PES) ought to build on existing systems in watershed management, carbon trading and ecotourism. Bold steps have to be taken to move beyond voluntary payments through corporate social responsibility to transactions based on the true value of the ecosystem service.

Socio-economic baseline report focusing on the Mobuku, Kalinzu Kasyoha – Kitomi and Budongo Bugoma landscapes of Uganda.

The characteristics examined in this report include land ownership, current land use practices and how they impact on provision of the services as well as barriers and/or potential barriers to project participation by households. In addition, the project made an assessment of the perceived benefits for individual participation in the scheme.

The survey also identified some farming systems that can be built on using the experience of available payments for environmental services to establish more schemes. These farming systems include fruit trees and shade coffee.

Landholdings, literacy, availability of inputs, technical know-how, risk aversion and sale for the products (in this case timber) were identified as some of the barriers to participation in payments for environmental service schemes.

Baseline survey for Rushebeya-Kanyabaha wetland landscape and Wambabya riverline forests system of Uganda

Results indicate that Wambabya riverine forests system provides clear saleable environmental services – carbon sequestration, watershed and biodiversity services – which present high prospects for development of reward for environmental services schemes. Potential environmental service sellers (forest and land owners), service providers/intermediaries and buyers were as well identified.

There is relevant policy and environmental legislation in addition to a well-structured institutional framework that can potentially facilitate the development and design of a PES scheme for Wambabya riverine forest system, although there are no policies and institutions specifically developed for PES schemes in Uganda per se.

Socio-economic benefits in Plan Vivo projects: Trees for Global Benefits, Uganda

The Trees for Global Benefits project was found to have multiple benefits for participants while contributing to food and fuel security at the household level, and social capacity building. The payments themselves were found to have an impact on the lives of the participants and could be used as security for loans whose participants would have previously been ineligible to obtain.

Nyando and Yala River basins in Western Kenya

Tradeoffs among Ecosystem Services in the Lake Victoria Basin

Concepts and approaches from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment were applied in a study of ecosystem service tradeoffs in two of the river basins that flow into Lake Victoria from Kenya (Yala and Nyando).

The results illustrate large year-to-year variation in food supply, non-food agricultural production, sediment yield and flood risk in the two basins. The results indicate both synergies and tradeoffs between provisioning and regulating services, with results from the Yala basin much more consistent than for the Nyando. Simulation results show that conservation agriculture has potential to enhance regulating services in synergy with provisioning services.

Sustaining the value of ecosystem services in Western Kenya: exploring the potential for payments for environmental services in the Lake Victoria basin.

An analysis of payments for environmental services (PES)-like initiatives has shown that all of the criteria and indicators for PES are not met by all the PES-like initiatives which were identified. Most of them are focused on meeting welfare goals and can only be sustained if these welfare goals are met.

Synthesis of Kenya’s environmental and poverty reduction policy framework and how it is likely to affect the adoption of integrated processes and the use of markets for ecosystem services in Nyando and Yala, has shown that different environmental policies and poverty reduction strategies negatively and positively affect integrated processes and adoption of PES.

PES therefore provides opportunities for integrated policy formulation and implementation at national and local levels.

Upper Tana

Assessing landholder preferences for alternative land management schemes and willingness to accept rewards for watershed services provision: the case of Kapingazi River basin, Mt. Kenya East

The two key objectives of this study were: (a) to understand landholder/user attitudes and preferences over various land management options, and (b) to estimate landholder/farmer willingness to accept rewards for the provision of required watershed services.

Results from the focus group indicate that inadequate water (quantity) for both domestic and irrigation and water pollution (quality) are the utmost environmental problems in the area. Further results show that respondents who have already been participating in agroforestry schemes show willingness to adopt land management contract at relatively lower compensation rewards compared to those who have not participated before.

Using GIS techniques to determine Rusle’s ‘R’ and ‘LS’ factors for Kapingazi River catchment

The purpose of this study was to use Geospatial Information Service (GIS) techniques to determine some of the soil erosion factors including rainfall runoff erosivity (R) and slope length/steepness factor (LS).

The results of the preliminary soil erosion assessment indicate that the average annual soil loss within the Kapingazi River catchment ranges from 0 to 449 tons per acre, with zero erosion occurring along the channels. On the other hand the highest soil loss was found to occur along the river banks with steep slopes. Further study be undertaken to establish suitable soil and water conservation measures that should be implemented in these areas as well as in the whole catchment.

Application of Geospatial Information Service (GIS) and Remote Sensing in the estimation of Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) K, C and P factors for Kapingazi Catchment Soil Erosion Assessment

This research study applied the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), remote sensing, and geographical information system (GIS) to the mapping of soil erosion risk at the South Eastern slopes of Mt. Kenya in Kapingazi Catchment.

The results indicate that most forested areas are in low erosion risk of less than 9.23 tons/acre compared with the bare soil areas to the lower parts of the catchment that have soil loss ranging from 113 to 336 tons per acre. Agroforestry and pasture show association with medium to moderately low erosion risk.

An analysis of the potential for rewards to stewards of ecosystem services in three projects in the Mount Kenya region.

The research was part of an initial scoping study done in Mount Kenya region to explore the existence of payments for environmental services (PES). The study also examined the scope of PES in alleviating poverty in the region.

None of the observed cases satisfied the definition of PES. The projects had little impact on the health of the environment and poverty levels of the community. The reasons could be attributed to such factors as the lack of tenure rights and inadequate policies.

Sasumua

A study on hydrological services in the Sasumua watershed

Results show that intensive horticultural and livestock farming, an upcoming processing industry, urban settlements and associated activities (markets, petrol stations, garages and shopping centres) are affecting the quality and quantity of water into the reservoir. Persistent grazing along the riparian reserve is causing increased runoff and high levels of sediment flow.

Another factor of concern in terms of hydrological behaviour is extensive compacted paths, tracks and roads, as well as expanding urban areas without adequate drainage or control of surface runoff, for example in Njabini town.

Spatially explicit assessment of tradeoffs and synergies amongst key ecosystem services in Sasumua watershed, Kenya.

Land use changes, especially driven by agricultural production, have hugely contributed to degradation of watershed functioning. Intervention is needed to maintain the ecosystem in Sasumua watershed to ensure agricultural production and to sustain the supply of water to Nairobi.

The results suggest that without effective mechanisms in place, the trend in land use changes will continue. Knowledge about Sasumua as an important biodiversity habitat is immensely lacking and so is the impact of land use change on biodiversity.

Further consultation with stakeholders, especially farm holders is the crucial next step towards successful intervention.

Where to get the full reports

To download and view the full reports please visit the following page on our website: http://presa.worldagroforestry.org/rewards-for-ecosystem-services/research-questions/research-outputs/