Payment for Environmental Services (PES) Scheme Implementation in Upstream and Downstream Areas as an Alternative for Sustainable Ecological Network

Abstract

Today either urban development or sustainable development should regard a balance between the development's objectives and environmental conservation as essential in order to enSUre the sustainability of the existing ecological network, horizolltally i.e. within the city and veliically i.e. between the city as the downstream area and the upper watershed. Through the implementation of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) scheme in watershed selvices management, eco-city or green city development's objectives will be accommodated since there will be sustainable ecological functions and, therefore, a sustainable ecological network. The PES scheme implementation is able to promote the establishment of an ecological network and at the same time a sustainable green city. There are several alternatives viable for the conservation of natural resources in upper areas, as follows: Future development of reward mechanisms in the area could be linked to activities that improve (i) the tree cover along river banks as well as (ii) converting non-productive land, as these areas are contributing to sedimentation in the river. The lack of existing hydrological data shows the impmiant part of water and river monitoring activities in the overall scheme.