Incentives for Ecosystem Services (IES) in the Himalayas: A ‘Cookbook’ for Emerging IES Practitioners in the Region

Initiating negotiations between producers, consumers and intermediaries is not a trivial matter. It involves identifying and resolving technical issues, understanding land rights, resource rights, and beneficiary issues, as well as balancing information and power disparities among individuals at the table. Step 7. Negotiating

A critical step in designing an IES system is negotiation between producers (resources managers) and consumers (resources users). Negotiations may be lengthier and involve consideration of a much broader range of information than one might expect, including community structure, customary practices, state of identified ecosystem services and their

needs, role of subsidiary or facilitating organizations, and presence or absence of local leadership. During negotiation, the facilitating organization needs to carefully identify key issues, demand and supply scenarios, possible willingness to pay from consumers, as well as local policies and legislative instruments if they exist.

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Incentives for Ecosystem Services (IES) in the Himalayas