Leveraging Payments for Ecosystem Services: Poplar River First Nation leads the way with innovative conservation
Poplar River First Nation (PRFN) has been working for years on management planning for its traditional territory. A critical next step is for the community to develop third-party partnerships to pursue payments for ecosystem services (PES). Through PES, PRFN's forest management strategies can better contribute to community and regional socioeconomic and environmental well-being.
-
Over the past 20 years, Poplar River First Nation has taken unprecedented steps to conserve and protect the 862,000-hectares of its traditional territory, Asatiwisipe Aki.
-
Payment for the ecosystem services Poplar River First Nation provides could help them develop an effective forest-based economy.
As the steward of its traditional territory for generations, Poplar River First Nation (PRFN) has an immense opportunity to undertake and lead on nature-based and land-management projects.
The community wants to maximize the potential of nature-based solutions to support climate and biodiversity co-benefits and create positive socioeconomic outcomes for both PRFN and Manitobans more generally. PRFN's successes could spur the adoption of nature-based solutions and innovative conservation efforts by other communities, including the 70% of Indigenous communities in Canada that are located in the boreal forest.
PRFN has been working for years on management planning for its traditional territory. A critical next step is for the community to develop third-party partnerships to pursue payments for ecosystem services (PES). Through PES, PRFN's forest management strategies can better contribute to community and regional socioeconomic and environmental well-being.
Entering into a PES agreement with potential funders is a way to ensure financial sustainability to support the community through socioeconomic and environmental stewardship. To illustrate how such an agreement might look, this study provides a working draft of a possible PES agreement between PRFN and a buyer of the goods and services. This agreement is drawn from several established national and international examples of PES agreement frameworks, and its main point of reference is the guidance documents from the Katoomba Group, an international working group dedicated to advancing payments for ecosystem services including watershed protection, biodiversity habitat and carbon sequestration.
Additional downloads
You might also be interested in
Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanisms and Impacts on Vietnam
This report consolidates, analyzes, and presents views and perspectives of stakeholders from Vietnam on border carbon adjustment (BCA) schemes to contribute to the global debate on BCA good practices.
For Nature-Based Solutions to Be Effective, We Need to Work with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Nature-based solutions have been praised as a promising approach to tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. But some Indigenous Peoples and local communities are questioning the legitimacy of the concept and what it symbolizes. It is time to listen to what they have to say.
The United Kingdom's Strategy for Carbon Border Adjustment in a Changing Global Landscape
This report consolidates, analyzes, and presents views and perspectives of United Kingdom stakeholders on its proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to contribute to the global debate on international principles and best practices for national border carbon adjustment schemes.
Global Dialogue on Border Carbon Adjustments: The case of Brazil
This report consolidates, analyzes, and presents the views and perspectives of stakeholders from Brazil on border carbon adjustment (BCA) schemes to contribute to the global debate on BCA good practices.