Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation www.espa.ac.uk
The ESPA Programme as of March 2013 Total funding allocated to ESPA research projects 15,923,730 Number of funding calls 6 Number of funded ESPA research projects 66 Number of researchers involved in ESPA 404 Number of research institutions supported directly by ESPA 175 Number of countries where research organisations are based 39 Number of countries where ESPA projects are working 21 [1] Does not include funding for six projects from the ESPA-2012 call due to be awarded at the end of March 2013 (estimated total value 10.2 million)
ESPA s Excellence with Impact Academic Impact: ESPA s science is required to generate world-class research which delivers, high-quality peer-reviewed publications, new data, models and tools. Development Impact: ESPA s research is expected to have the potential to improve the lives of poor people in low-income countries. Projects and the ESPA Directorate are required to undertake activities to put research into use
Academic Impact to March 2013 Outcome Type Number Journal Papers 61 Books and Book Chapters 10 Datasets 11 Models and Frameworks 17 [1] The counts of datasets and models are based on reporting by projects and are considered a significant underestimate at this point of implementation of the programme
Generating Evidence
Lessons Emerging from ESPA ESPA requires a systems approach linking multiple ecosystem services and multiple dimensions of poverty. Most systems need to be managed as a mosaic of land-uses and services.
Lessons Emerging from ESPA Exceeding tipping points leads to significant losses of ecosystem services. It is much more difficult to restore services. There are often early warning signs of the loss of ecosystem services
Lessons Emerging from ESPA Opportunities for smallscale land-owners / managers may be limited: Collective action can help to empower communities. The enabling environment is important: Knowledge, policies, incentives, markets and institutions.
Lessons Emerging from ESPA PES schemes may help, but will only ever be part of the solution linking ecosystem services and poverty alleviation. Decision makers need better evidence and metrics Quality evidence is valued. Decision Support Systems get mixed receptions.
Sharing Examples of Success Better management of ecosystems for a range of services will help to reduce poverty.
Emerging Research Questions How to value ecosystem services? How to use the value of ecosystem services to influence decisions and actions? How to ensure that the poor benefit from ecosystem services? Understanding how, when and why PES schemes are successful. Benefitting people and the environment
Emerging Research Questions The roles of tools and models in understanding trade-offs, integrating values and informing decisions. When to use specific tools? What can the tool tell us? What are its data requirements? When can it be applied reliably? What are its limitations? What are its key assumptions?
Additional Opportunities and Needs Synthesis of development and academic impact across multiple projects. Linking ESPA research to other related programmes. Ways of sharing knowledge between projects within a country and region or between regions Enhanced South-South collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Sharing Knowledge and Contacts Tools and Models Data and analysis Research stakeholders Impact stakeholders and processes
Objectives for this Workshop Welcoming new projects into the ESPA programme An opportunity to learn, ask questions and interact with other projects. Networking!!!! If the workshop has been successful, when you leave you will be able to identify one thing you will be doing differently in your new project.