The European Commission in its new EU Forest Strategy for 2030 (EUFS) released in July 2021, committed to provide advice and technical guidance to Member States on the development of payment schemes for ecosystem services (PES).
Within this context, the Commission organised an online workshop on 31 March 2022, to take stock of the experience and views of Member States and relevant stakeholders in the field of payments for forest ecosystem services.
The event was attended by over 150 participants -from the European Commission, Member States, potential beneficiaries (forest owners and managers), forestry and ecology research and policy institutes, and NGOs active in the field of forest and forestry- who engaged in discussions on the design and implementation of public and private payment schemes, focusing on key challenges and possible solutions.
The workshop aimed to:
- present recent developments and key ongoing initiatives;
- discuss key needs and challenges for setting up PES schemes;
- identify gaps and research and innovation needs;
- encourage regular exchange of information, knowledge, and good practices.
The outcomes of the workshop will be integrated in a guidance document on PES, to be prepared by the Commission.
The ENRD Contact Point supported the facilitation of this workshop.
