Paying Livestock Producers for Ecosystem Services and Land Conservation

Introduction to Ecosystem Services

  • Definition: Ecosystem services refer to "the good things that nature does" for farms, households, communities, and economies.

    • These services are provided by the environment without a direct monetary cost.

    • Example: Trees and plants take in CO2 and release O2, thereby improving air quality.

Categories of Ecosystem Services

  • Four main categories of ecosystem services:

    1. Supporting Services: Necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services.

      • Example: Nutrient cycling, soil formation, trees converting CO2 into O2, rain will provide water and precipitation

    2. Provisioning Services: Products obtained from ecosystems.

      • Examples include meat from hunting (e.g., deer), fruits and nuts from gathering, honey produced by bees, etc.

    3. Regulating Services: Benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes.

      • Example: The greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, water purification by wetlands, oceans absorbing CO2 from the air

  1. Cultural Services: Non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems.

  • Includes experiences such as spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation and aesthetic activities

    • Examples: camping, fishing, meditating, hiking, walking, picnic

Issues with Ecosystem Services and Agriculture

  • The relationship between agriculture and ecosystem services is complex.

  • Issues arise as human activities can damage natural ecosystems, leading to reduced service provision.

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)

  • Definition: Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are incentives provided to livestock producers and other landowners to provide ecological benefits.

    • this incentive does not always have to be money

  • Concept:

    • A transparent system for the provision of environmental services through conditional payments.

  • Objective:

    • Promote conservation of ecosystems in the marketplace.

    • Address opportunity costs that farmers face, like the temptation to drain wetlands for crop production.

  • Example: Incentives can encourage the maintenance of wetlands, resulting in broader societal benefits.

Example of PES Programs

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

  • The world's largest and longest-running PES program.

  • Key details:

    • The U.S. government invests $1.8 billion per year through contracts with farmers and landowners to rent environmentally sensitive lands

  • Purpose:

    • Farmers are encouraged to plant resource-conserving covers that improve water quality, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitats.

  • Historical context:

    • Began in the 1950s, originally aimed at preventing soil erosion.

  • Environmental Impact:

    • In 2007, the CRP program reduced soil erosion by an estimated 470 million tons from pre-CRP levels.

    • Achieved a 95% reduction in nitrogen and an 86% reduction in phosphorus run-off from agricultural fields into aquatic systems.

    • Duck populations increased by 30% since 1992; sage grouse territory decline slowed by 25% from 1970 to 1988.

    • gave home to wild birds with young chicks

Principles of Effective Ecosystem Payment Programs

  1. Community-Developed:

    • Programs developed with local community input, to be flexible and respect local agricultural and environmental priorities.

  2. Farmer-Delivered:

    • Farmers and ranchers are in the best positions to effectively deliver ecosystem benefits on their lands.

  3. Targeted:

    • Focus on marginal and ecologically sensitive parcels of land for effective management and benefits production.

  4. Market Driven:

    • Nature’s benefits produced through project activities have economic value.

  5. Voluntary:

    • Farmers and ranchers choose to participate and have flexible agreements that suit different operations.

  6. Integrated:

    • Programs should complement existing conservation policies at federal and provincial levels.

  7. Accountable:

    • Projects must undergo independent monitoring and auditing.

  8. Science-Based:

    • Development and implementation guided by social, economic, and environmental sciences.

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS)

  • Definition: ALUS pays farmers to retain and reconstruct natural areas, including wetlands, grasslands, and riparian zones.

  • Background:

    • Developed after extensive discussions with agricultural communities to address shortcomings in traditional conservation measures.

  • Funding sources include provincial and federal governments, private foundations, and environmental groups.

Conservation Techniques - Anja

Fee Simple Acquisition

  • The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) can purchase land outright or accept land donations from landowners (could get land in will or through meeting)

    • The concept operates on a willing buyer, willing seller basis.

  • NCC assumes land management responsibilities following acquisition or donation.

Conservation Easements

  • Definition: Legal agreements where a landowner voluntarily relinquishes some development rights on all or part of their land to ensure long-term protection of conservation values

  • Characteristics:

    • Set of mutually agreed restrictions tailored to land.

    • Registered to property title for perpetuity, affecting future ownership. → this means that the agreement is tied to the land, not current land owner

  • Benefits:

    • gives opportunities for landowners to formalize their commitment to long term conservation

    • Allows for careful steward ship and land care

    • in a purchase or donation, landowner may receive income tax incentive or receive income on the land

    • Signed CE agreement allows NCC to access land for inspections and check ins

    • If broken, compensation or reestablishment costs may be incurred by the landowner.

*benefit of conservation easement is the people approaching to make these arrangements are usually already doing very good

Areas of Conservation by NCC

  • Overview of conservation focus:

    • 10 Natural Areas

    • Fee Simple: around 60,000 acres

    • Conservation Easements: over 100,000 acres

Focus of Conservation Work

  • Utilize Natural Area Conservation Plans and Open Standards for Conservation.

  • Open Standards for Conservation: widely adopted set of principles that bring together common concepts, approaches, and terminology for conservation project design, management and monitoring

How NCC focuses their work

  • Each fee-simple property is managed under a Property Management Plan (PMP)

  • Objectives of PMP

    • Identify conservation goals and methods to achieve them

    • renewed every 5 years

    • Address grazing, restoration, invasive species, and human use considerations for access to natural spaces and conservation practices