How stakeholders from two main sectors (forestry and water management) perceive the importance of water-related forest ecosystem services, the trade-offs between ecosystem services and the effectiveness and implementation of payments schemes related to forest water ecosystem services were our areas of interest. Based on the theoretical background and the results of the survey, the authors defined key aspects of the design and implementation of PWS schemes in Slovak conditions such as potential buyers and sellers, important factors for the implementation of PWS schemes, and the role of public authorities.Įven though water-related forest ecosystem services are important for forestry and water management sectors, they have different definitions and are regulated differently in each sector, which makes them poorly recognized. ![]() ![]() These stakeholders represent potential buyers, seller, intermediaries, and knowledge providers in PWS schemes. Fifteen Slovak stakeholders from forestry, water management, and nature protection were involved in the study. The study was based on document analysis and stakeholders´ opinions towards PWS. Starting from this point, the objective matter of the paper is to develop the payments for WES schemes in Slovakia. In Slovakia, the active support of WES is provided by economic instruments of forest policy, while the market-based solution as payments for water-related services (PWS) is lacking. Water-related forest ecosystems services (WES) are vital to the functioning of the biosphere, society, and human well-being. It will also create a European network through which PES schemes can be facilitated, extended and improved, for example by incorporating other ecosystem services linking with aims of the wider forests-carbon policy nexus. The PESFOR-W COST Action will consolidate learning from existing woodlands for water PES schemes in Europe and help standardize approaches to evaluating the environmental effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of woodland measures. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are flexible, incentive-based mechanisms that could play an important role in promoting land use change to deliver water quality targets. New economic instruments, in combination with spatial targeting, need to be developed to ensure cost effective solutions – including tree planting for water benefits - are realised. This form of integrated catchment management offers multiple benefits to society but a significant cost to landowners and managers. There is growing support for land use change to help bridge the gap, with a particular focus on targeted tree planting to intercept and reduce the delivery of diffuse pollutants to water. Accumulating evidence shows that recent improvements to agricultural practices are benefiting water quality but in many cases will be insufficient to achieve WFD objectives. Diffuse pollution from agriculture represents a major pressure, affecting over 90% of river basins. Many Member States will struggle to meet this target, with around half of EU river catchments currently reporting below standard water quality. The EU Water Framework Directive aims to ensure restoration of Europe’s water bodies to “good ecological status” by 2027.
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