Peruvian Congress Passes Historic Ecosystem Services Law

Six years in the making, Peru's new Ecosystem Services Law passed on Thursday, providing a comprehensive legal framework for the sticky issue of payments for ecosystem services (PES). It is one of the most advanced pieces of legislation of its type, but had been stuck in committee for five years.

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7 June 2014 | The same week that US President Barack Obama unveiled a national climate action plan that opens the door to cap-and-trade in the power sector, Peru's National Congress (Congreso Nacional) passed the country's ground-breaking Payments for Ecosystem Services Law (Ley de Mecanismos de Retribución por Servicios Ecosistémicos), according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Environment (MINAM).

The law passed on Thursday with 83 votes in favor and none against, with no abstentions, the release said. Here is a rough translation of the release, which is available in Spanish here, followed by earlier Ecosystem Marketplace coverage of the act. We will update this story during the week. Be sure to check back.

Adopted at the World Environment Day (Día Mundial del Ambiente), this law will give an adequate legal framework to those voluntary agreements that have already been registered among citizens, to ensure the provision of goods and services that nature provides us. Roger Loyola, director of Evaluation, Assessment and Financing of Natural Heritage (Evaluación, Valoración y Financiamiento del Patrimonio Natural) for MINAM, said this law will promote recognition actions for both parties involved: one that helps maintain ecosystem conservation actions, recovery and sustainable use of ecosystems, and one that receives the benefit of this work.

"The first ecosystem service that MINAM are working on are water resources, working with the watershed between highlands and lowlands, for the mutual benefit of both. We are also looking at forest carbon," said Loyola. In other cases, there are communities that have called for the creation of a control forest to receive a benefit to avoid land use and deforestation.

Examples of this type have already been carried out not only abroad, Costa Rica and Ecuador, but also in Peru itself. For example, the Pacific Insurance Company signed an agreement that allows the forest Tambopata (Madre de Dios) keeps up the company and thus offset their emissions. Another example is that of Tumbes where users pay to maintain three micro Alto Mayo and ensure the quality of water for human consumption.

"What we propose is the measurement and regulation of voluntary human actions. This does not mean that the established environmental obligations are maintained, for any person, firm or entity of the State to fulfill its duties are not exempt " Loyola said.

Article 12 of the Law states that the MINAM support the regional and local governments, through the Incubator Compensation Mechanisms for Ecosystem Services, whose main function is to support these processes.

 

 

source: (c) Ecosystem Marketplace, www.ecosystemmarketplace.com

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