Forest Trends
State of Emerging Environmental Markets
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Well-functioning ecosystems provide reliable and clean flows of water, productive soil, relatively predictable weather, and many other services essential for human well-being. Today, however, many ecosystems and the services they provide are under increasing pressure. Indeed, the most comprehensive study to date, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which engaged over 1,300 scientists, concluded that more than 60% of the world’s ecosystems are being used in ways that cannot be sustained.
Environmental Markets are growing and changing rapidly at a global level. This panel examines the current state of the environmental marketplace on an international scale, discussing long term trends and recent changes in the market.
Speakers
- Overview of Markets for Environmental Services
Kate Hamilton, Director, Ecosystem Marketplace, Forest Trends - Payments for Ecosystem Services as Financial Vehicles for Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Poverty Reduction and Rural Development
James Peters, Chief Technical Advisor, Asian Development Bank EOC - Role of Multilaterals in Forest and Ecosystem Investments
Richard Caines, Principal Specialist, East Asia and Pacific Environment and Social Development Department, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Resources
Overview, Kate Hamilton from Forest Trends
Kate Hamilton gives a brief overview and history of Ecosystem Marketplace and explores the basics of various environmental services. She goes on to explain the concept of PES while providing a short introduction to the Regulated Carbon Markets and Forest Carbon Markets. In addition, Kate touches on the State of Watershed Payments Report and presents some of its key findings as well as the challenges.
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Click here for video of Kate’s presentation
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Payments for Ecosystem Services as Financial Vehicles for Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Poverty Reduction and Rural Development
James Peter, Chief Technical Advisor, Asian Development Bank EOC
James Peter stresses the importance of PES in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region and explores the benefits and challenges faced in implementing PES. He goes on to explain the ideas behind the Core Environment Program and its various phases, while providing insight on what will make the CEP successful and beneficial to the GMS countries. He closes by providing an example of how the program’s methodology was tested by Vietnam’s government and is considered to be a success by the Mekong people.
Click here for video of James Peter’s Presentation
Roles of Multilaterals in Forest and Ecosystem Investments
Richard Caines, Principal Specialist, East Asia and Pacific Environment and Social Development Department, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Richard Caines describes the role the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has in REDD and forestry by providing IFC’s three core areas of activity. He explains IFC’s current annual investment in forestry in relation to other annual investments while explaining the struggles and challenges IFC has faced in investing in forestry. Richard provides four core areas IFC plans to focus on, including increasing forest access to the carbon market and promoting global standards, and concludes by stressing the importance of private sector participation in ecosystem services.