The Selva Lacandona is one of the most biodiverse rainforests in the world and it contains some of the most extensive and best-preserved remnants of lower montane rainforest in Mexico and Central America. For nearly 20 years, many communities in the Lacandona have been incentivised through the National Program for Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) to protect their standing rainforest. However, recent budget reductions and changing operational rules in the PES program have compromised their participation, leading to either reduced enrollment or lack of compliance. This project aims to estimate the impact of such changes on deforestation rates, avoided forest loss, and socio-economic wellbeing, and to develop recommendations to improve PES design and implementation through collaborative engagement with local implementers and the national government.
Project Principal Investigator: Dr. Santiago Izquierdo-Tort, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Co-researchers: Andrea Alatorre, Université du Québec en Outaouais; Julia Carabias, Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos A.C.; Esteve Corbera, ICTA-UAB; Julia P.G. Jones, Bangor University.
June 2024 - May 2026
