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Review
. 2019 Sep 29;15(3):e1045.
doi: 10.1002/cl2.1045. eCollection 2019 Sep.

Incentives for climate mitigation in the land use sector-the effects of payment for environmental services on environmental and socioeconomic outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review

Birte Snilsveit  1 , Jennifer Stevenson  1 , Laurenz Langer  2 , Natalie Tannous  2 , Zafeer Ravat  2 , Promise Nduku  2 , Joshua Polanin  3 , Ian Shemilt  4 , John Eyers  1 , Paul J Ferraro  5
Affiliations
Review

Incentives for climate mitigation in the land use sector-the effects of payment for environmental services on environmental and socioeconomic outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review

Birte Snilsveit et al. Campbell Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Unsustainable practices in the land use sector contribute to climate change through the release of greenhouse gases. Payment for environmental services (PESs) provide economic incentives to reduce the negative environmental impacts of land use and are a popular approach to mitigate climate change in low- and middle-income countries. Some PES programmes also aim to improve socioeconomic outcomes and reduce poverty. This systematic review examines the effect of programmes on environmental and socioeconomic outcomes. We identified 44 quantitative impact evaluations and 60 qualitative studies of PES programmes for inclusion in the review, to assess both the effects of PES and identify context, design and implementation features that may influence PES effectiveness. The studies covered 18 programmes from 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, East Asia and Pacific, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The review finds that PES may increase household income, reduce deforestation and improve forest cover, but the findings are, however, based on low and very low quality evidence from a small number of programmes and should be treated with caution. Qualitative evidence indicates that several factors influence whether PES programmes are likely to be effective in different contexts and suggests that the inclusion of strong governance structures and the effective targeting of both locations and participants may improve intervention effectiveness. Funders, implementing agencies and researchers should collaborate to develop a coordinated programme of rigorous, mixed-methods impact evaluation implemented across contexts. Until such evidence is available, PES programmes remain a high-risk strategy for climate change mitigation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proposed theory of change for payment for environmental services programmes [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 2
Figure 2
PRISMA diagram [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 3
Figure 3
Programme settings [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 4
Figure 4
Summary of risk of bias across impact evaluations [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 5
Figure 5
Summary of overall risk of bias ratings across impact evaluations [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effects of payment for environmental service on household socioeconomic outcomes
Figure 7
Figure 7
Effects of payment for environmental service on total household income
Figure 8
Figure 8
Effects of payment for environmental service on household income from nonagricultural sources
Figure 9
Figure 9
Effects of payment for environmental service on household income from agricultural sources
Figure 10
Figure 10
Effects of payment for environmental service on household asset index
Figure 11
Figure 11
Effects of payment for environmental service on environmental outcomes
Figure 12
Figure 12
Effects of payment for environmental service on forest cover
Figure 13
Figure 13
Effects of payment for environmental service on deforestation
Figure 14
Figure 14
Summary of overall critical appraisal ratings across studies included in the qualitative synthesis [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 15
Figure 15
Critical appraisal category ratings across studies included in the qualitative synthesis (excludes studies of critical quality) [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
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References

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    1. Alix‐Garcia, J , Aronson, G , Radeloff, V , Ramirez‐Reyes, C , Shapiro, E , Sims, K , & Yañez‐Pagans, P , (2014) Environmental and socioeconomic impacts of Mexico's payments for ecosystem services program (3ie Impact Evaluation Report 20). New Delhi: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
    1. Agrawal, A. , & Angelsen, A. (2009). Using community forest management to achieve REDD+ goals. In Angelsen S., Brockhaus A., Kanninen M., Sills M., Sunderlin E., & Wertz‐Kanounnikoff W. D. (Eds.), Realising REDD: National strategy and policy options (pp. 201–211). Bogor: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).
    1. Angelsen, A. (2009). Policy options to reduce deforestation. In Angelsen A., Brockhaus M., Kanninen M., Sills E., Sunderlin W. D., & Wertz‐Kanounnikoff S. (Eds.), Realising REDD+: National strategy and policy options (pp. 125–138). Bogor: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).
    1. Arriagada, R. , & Perrings, C. (2009). Making Payments for Ecosystem Services Work, Ecosystem Services Economics. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Program.

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