Payment For Forest Environmental Services: A Metta-analysis of Successful Elements

The forest is an ecosystem that can produce environmental services from which individuals benefit. In recent decades, the interest in these services has significantly increased and changed to meet new needs. The demand for wood has gradually become integrated into the demand for new products and services related to landscape use and recreational activities. These new products and services are defined as Non-Wood Forest Products and Services (NWFP&SSs). With this interest in services and products associated with the recreational use of forests and forest tourism, a possibility and in certain cases a need exists to introduce a system of payment for these services. The purpose of such a payment system is to respond to this demand and to promote the sustainable development and management of forests as well as diversify and increase the income of the community whose economy is based directly on forest resources. However, the transformation of forest environmental goods and services into commercial products and services is not straightforward. The transformation depends on endogenous and exogenous factors related to the forest system. Problematically, NWFP&Ss are frequently viewed as public goods. From this standpoint, they are considered free of cost to users. Therefore, to introduce a payment mechanism is difficult. However, this paper proposes to collect information on what factors can help to transform these e externalities into sources of income for people living near the forests.