A Knowledge and Assessment Guide to Support the Development of Payment Arrangements for Watershed Ecosystem Services (PWES)

This report is particularly intended for use by project managers who may have specialized knowledge in particular fields but who may need a broader framework for inquiry addressing the site-specific context of a PWES initiative. A closely related purpose of this report is to help project managers organize a broad range of information in a way that is relevant and useful for decision-making. The report should also enable organizations and government officials interested in developing such initiatives, or donors interested in supporting their development, to evaluate opportunities and have a better appreciation of what may be required in practice.
The project team consists of individuals who have knowledge of hydrology, water resources engineering, economic valuation, and of policies and institutions that are needed to support PWES. Given the complexity of the topic, and the time and resource constraints on the project, and the need for a broader base of experience with actual assessment of PWES initiatives, the guide does not pretend to be comprehensive. However, it can be considered successful if it contributes to an ongoing process of learning based on the experiences of practitioners. In addition to this report, the project includes the “FLOWS” listserve on which new information will be reported.