Recommendations for better integrating payment schemes for forest ecosystem services into EU policies
Sustainable forest management can involve additional costs or forgone income. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are effective mechanisms for rewarding forest managers for delivering forest ecosystem services (FES). PES are defined as voluntary, contractual transactions between ecosystem service providers (i.e. forest owners and managers) and ecosystem service buyers (e.g. industries, drinking water companies and citizens).
Payments for Forest Ecosystem Services (ForestPES) are present across European policies, mainly in strategies and programmes related to agriculture, rural development and nature. However, the uptake of ForestPES through financial programmes at European, national and regional levels remains limited. This is because programming authorities have included few ForestPES measures, forest managers have shown limited enrolment, and standard cost-compensation payments may not provide sufficient incentives.
Citation
De Vreese, R., Wunder, S., Fraccaroli, C., Corradini, G., & Doppio, M. (2026). Recommendations for Better Integrating Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services into EU Policies. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22050152
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