Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries
This paper examines the level of payment for ecosystem services (PES) concept implementation in the financing of water-related forest ecosystem services (ES) in the Republic of Croatia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Serbia. The foc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/6/654 |
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| author | Dijana Vuletić Silvija Krajter Ostoić Ljiljana Keča Mersudin Avdibegović Kristina Potočki Stjepan Posavec Aleksandar Marković Špela Pezdevšek Malovrh |
| author_facet | Dijana Vuletić Silvija Krajter Ostoić Ljiljana Keča Mersudin Avdibegović Kristina Potočki Stjepan Posavec Aleksandar Marković Špela Pezdevšek Malovrh |
| author_sort | Dijana Vuletić |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper examines the level of payment for ecosystem services (PES) concept implementation in the financing of water-related forest ecosystem services (ES) in the Republic of Croatia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Serbia. The focus is on water-related forest ES recognised by the millennium ecosystem assessment (MEA). For the purpose of this paper, the term <i>pure PES</i> describes schemes that comply to all five conditions set by Wunder definition and term <i>PES like</i> for those schemes that miss some of those conditions. In the first step, the most important legislative documents related to forests, water, and environmental protection were selected. The second consists of a content analysis; focusing on the definition of ES; the definition of fees or payments; the establishment of ‘forest funds’, ‘water funds’, or ‘environmental funds’; and the way these funds were spent. Here we looked at the flow of funding into the forestry sector recognising forest management as the main water-related forest ES provider. Research revealed existence of well-established payments schemes in forestry in Croatia for almost 30 years and in FB&H for some 20 years which were assessed as closest to <i>pure PES</i>. In Serbia and Slovenia, there were no PES or <i>PES like</i> schemes in the forestry sector. In the water sector the well-established <i>PES like</i> payments schemes existing in all four countries. The environmental protection sector, however, rely more on the <i>tax like</i> rather than on the <i>PES like</i> schemes. Legislation in general recognised the link between forests and water, but this was much more evident in the forestry than in the water or environment sector. The role of the state is strongly pronounced in all countries studied, and was the main driving force behind all payments. However, this position of the state represents also the main obstacle for the development of <i>pure PES</i> schemes, together with underdeveloped private forestry and complex socio-economic conditions. Nevertheless, there is room for further development of <i>pure PES</i> and <i>PES like</i> schemes based on EU or global experiences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:17:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2dd2bc73f78646b5ae50ed9c91b7376c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:17:42Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-2dd2bc73f78646b5ae50ed9c91b7376c2023-11-20T03:13:10ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072020-06-0111665410.3390/f11060654Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) CountriesDijana Vuletić0Silvija Krajter Ostoić1Ljiljana Keča2Mersudin Avdibegović3Kristina Potočki4Stjepan Posavec5Aleksandar Marković6Špela Pezdevšek Malovrh7Croatian Forest Research Institute, 10450 Jastrebarsko, CroatiaCroatian Forest Research Institute, 10450 Jastrebarsko, CroatiaFaculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrad, SerbiaFaculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFaculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaFaculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaFaculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrad, SerbiaBiotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaThis paper examines the level of payment for ecosystem services (PES) concept implementation in the financing of water-related forest ecosystem services (ES) in the Republic of Croatia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Serbia. The focus is on water-related forest ES recognised by the millennium ecosystem assessment (MEA). For the purpose of this paper, the term <i>pure PES</i> describes schemes that comply to all five conditions set by Wunder definition and term <i>PES like</i> for those schemes that miss some of those conditions. In the first step, the most important legislative documents related to forests, water, and environmental protection were selected. The second consists of a content analysis; focusing on the definition of ES; the definition of fees or payments; the establishment of ‘forest funds’, ‘water funds’, or ‘environmental funds’; and the way these funds were spent. Here we looked at the flow of funding into the forestry sector recognising forest management as the main water-related forest ES provider. Research revealed existence of well-established payments schemes in forestry in Croatia for almost 30 years and in FB&H for some 20 years which were assessed as closest to <i>pure PES</i>. In Serbia and Slovenia, there were no PES or <i>PES like</i> schemes in the forestry sector. In the water sector the well-established <i>PES like</i> payments schemes existing in all four countries. The environmental protection sector, however, rely more on the <i>tax like</i> rather than on the <i>PES like</i> schemes. Legislation in general recognised the link between forests and water, but this was much more evident in the forestry than in the water or environment sector. The role of the state is strongly pronounced in all countries studied, and was the main driving force behind all payments. However, this position of the state represents also the main obstacle for the development of <i>pure PES</i> schemes, together with underdeveloped private forestry and complex socio-economic conditions. Nevertheless, there is room for further development of <i>pure PES</i> and <i>PES like</i> schemes based on EU or global experiences.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/6/654PES schemes<i>pure PES</i> schemes<i>PES like</i> schemesforestwaterSouth East Europe |
| spellingShingle | Dijana Vuletić Silvija Krajter Ostoić Ljiljana Keča Mersudin Avdibegović Kristina Potočki Stjepan Posavec Aleksandar Marković Špela Pezdevšek Malovrh Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries Forests PES schemes <i>pure PES</i> schemes <i>PES like</i> schemes forest water South East Europe |
| title | Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries |
| title_full | Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries |
| title_fullStr | Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries |
| title_short | Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries |
| title_sort | water related payment schemes for forest ecosystem services in selected southeast european see countries |
| topic | PES schemes <i>pure PES</i> schemes <i>PES like</i> schemes forest water South East Europe |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/6/654 |
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