KEYWORDS: payment for ecosystem services-nature conservation-biodiversity

IEEP played a key role in a European Commission study that explored the possibilities for establishing PES schemes for biodiversity conservation in two new EU Member States and three Candidate Countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania and Turkey).

Payments for environmental services (PES) are considered as a promising tool for creating financial incentives for environmental conservation. In the context of PES, those providing environmental services by conserving natural ecosystems receive direct financial compensation from the beneficiaries of the service. The application of PES, particularly in agricultural areas, has started to gain increasing attention also in the EU, particularly in view of the forthcoming major EU budget review.

The study results indicate that appropriately designed PES schemes can provide a potentially useful tool for supporting conservation of biodiversity in Eastern Europe.