Evidence and Experiences to Strengthen Payments for Environmental Services (PES) Programs

Conference
Timeline:
to (5:00 to 8:00pm EDT)
Location:
ITAM, Santa Teresa Campus, Sala Isoptica C, Mexico City
Picture of a forest
Dzenina Lukac

Payments for Environmental Services (PES) are mechanisms that recognize and reward the efforts of landholders and communities who protect and restore ecosystems. Well-designed PES programs can slow deforestation, enhance ecosystem services, and improve livelihoods.

This in-person event in Mexico will bring together leading institutions and practitioners to share scientific evidence, lessons learned, and innovative approaches for strengthening PES programs. It will highlight how randomized evaluations (RCT) can generate rigorous evidence to improve program design, implementation, and policy effectiveness in the environmental sector.

The session will feature experiences from Mexico and Guatemala, showcasing how diverse actors—government institutions, civil society organizations, and community representatives—are shaping and sustaining PES initiatives across Latin America.

This event is part of a broader regional series organized by J-PAL LAC, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), and the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), aimed at advancing inclusive, evidence-based approaches to climate finance and territorial service payments.

Register here

Agenda

  • Welcome remarks
  • Presentation: Randomized evaluations: A powerful tool to improve environmental programs and public policies
  • Presentation: State of the art of scientific and practical evidence on PES + results from a randomized evaluation in the Lacandon Jungle
  • Panel 1 – Experiences of PES
  • Panel 2 – Roles and responsibilities of community service providers
  • Closing remarks