Affiliations: [a] United Nations University, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNUIAS), 5-53-70, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan | [b] School of Environmental Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi - 110067, India | [c] Kyrgyz National University, 547 Frunze Street, Bishkek 720033, Kyrgyzstan
Abstract: The major focus of payment of ecosystem services (PES) approach is that those who provide environmental services should be compensated for doing so and that those who receive the services should pay for their provision. This work tried to explore the potential of payment of ecosystem services under water related ecosystem service in the Krygyz Republic in central Asia to reduce poverty. Also it focussed on the kind of payment method which can be used for implementing PES. A very important aspect is to explore the policy research interface to make it a powerful tool. The site identified based on the pilot project by CAREC can be used as the building block to design further PES scheme in Krygyz Republic. The first and important finding in the report is that PES can become a helping hand to reduce poverty from Kyrgyz Republic with a mode of generating an extra income for poor but we cannot say it is very effective and completely capable of eradication of poverty from the country. The key findings are most dependent on the factors like interest among stakeholders for new tools to address water resource management, a very strong local organization which can do the mediation in implementing the site projects, broker the agreement between sellers and buyers and monitoring the project in further stage and various tensions between downstream and upstream water users. The local governing body needs to set up an institution established to bring together ecosystem service buyers and sellers (KAESBS – Krygyz association of ES buyer and seller). The important step is to design the mechanism so as not to exclude poor land users by keeping transaction costs as low as possible, and being creative in responses and strong local organizations such as community groups or NGOs participation plays a great role in designing and negotiation process.
Keywords: Payment of ecosystem service (PES), Kyrgyz republic, Water resource management, Poverty
