Payment for forest environmental services: a meta-analysis of successful elements

Forest ecosystems produce environmental services from which individuals benefit. In recent decades, interest in these services has significantly increased to meet the demand for new products and services related to landscape use and recreational activities. These new products and services are defined as Non-Wood Forest Products and Services (NWFP&Ss). There is the possibility, and in certain cases the need, to introduce a system of payment for these NWFP&Ss. However, the transformation of forest environmental goods and services into commercial products and services is not a straightforward process. This paper reviews a number of successful payment mechanisms for NWFP&Ss in order to examine the elements which contribute to transforming these externalities into sources of income for people living near forests.