From Payment for Hydrological Environmental Services to Matching Funds: a Social Perception Study in a Forest Community of Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

This research contributes to the discussion on the future of the Payment for Hydrological Ecosystem Services (Spanish acronym PSAH) federal program, and its possible transition towards Local Payment Mechanisms for Environmental Services through Matching Funds (Spanish acronym MLPSA-FC). An analysis of social perceptions was undertaken of stakeholders involved in its application process (providers, users and intermediaries), concerning the social, economic and environmental effects created in a forest community in Oaxaca, Mexico. Based on semi-structured interviews applied in 2016-2017, it was found that users show a preference for MLPSA-FC, whereas intermediaries and providers prefer PSAH. The transition apparently was not based on a voluntary decision, but rather on a context of high competition and the lack of a budget to support the federal PSAH program through the National Forestry Commission (Spanish acronym CONAFOR). It is therefore necessary to undertake assessments of the effects, using an integral approach, of PSA schemes in Mexico, as well as comparison studies of the effects created by federal programs and local mechanisms from inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives.