Significance of ecosystem services (ESs) in global policy has been evident in Paris Agreement, emerging REDD+ and initiatives like Aichi Targets, and SDGs. FAO (2019) reported that lack of ESs valuation has led to over exploitation of resources and poorly informed decisions in countries of Asia Pacific. In the climate milieu, a fundamental plea for plural values of ESs, wherein the valuation languages are context dependent and needs special capacity building to articulate, will be imperative. Given that both trade-offs and synergies exist between utilizing ESs and development, multisectoral objectives needs to be explored too, in Asia pacific. This would facilitate AP-PLAT (Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform) to share advanced scientific climate risk information towards adaptation planning. The proposal aims at regional preparedness by developing capacities in scientific, economic and socio-political scenario planning approaches on pricing of ESs for AP-PLAT partners. Outcomes would build capacities in pricing ESs and as well monitor, model and predict spatio-temporal values of ESs adaptive learning towards ecosystem-based adaptations in resolving conflicts, assessing damage loss and reverting current linear extractive economic scenario with neo-economic circular conservation paradigms for sustainable future. The outcomes will be consolidated into a global curriculum for free online dissemination.
Project leader
Project collaborators
Mr Parimal Suklabaidya, Hon Environment Minister, Govt of Assam, India
“Conserving the goods and services of wetlands and sustainably intensifying the wetland ecosystem services are of paramount importance for poverty alleviation as well as food and livelihood security for marginal poor segment of the society.”
Dr. A. Arunachalam, Director, Central Agroforestry Research Institute, ICAR, Govt. of India
“Scientific Pricing of Ecosystem services will not only help in strategizing our conservation priorities but would also empower the marginal communities through Payment of Ecosystem Services (PES)”
Md. Saadat Hussain, CEO, O’Creeds, Bangladesh
“The knowledge of ecosystem services and the scientific methods of pricing it has been empowering. This needs to be included in course curriculum so that future planners and practitioners can best use the same for more proactive planning and preparedness in Asian climate vulnerable countries, like Bangladesh”.