Pro-Poor Rewards for Environmental Services

Pro-poor Rewards for Environment Services in Africa (PRESA) Project works to establish foundations for pro-poor payments for environmental services at selected sites in Africa. The project is led by World Agroforestry Centre (ICFAF) with funding from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The overall project goal is to have hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers and residents living in the highlands of East and West Africa benefit from fair and effective agreements between stewards and beneficiaries of ecosystem services

PRESA activities are designed in form of action research and practical experience to directly influence and engage key stakeholders in active learning on payments or rewards for environmental services. The approach is aimed at catalyzing policy support and private sector participation in environmental service agreements. The project began in 2008 and is implemented in collaboration with national partners, research institutions, universities and non-governmental organizations selected core and associate landscapes in four project countries of Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Through these stakeholders, PRESA is generating and sharing evidence to support payments for ecosystem services (PES) in Africa and beyond. The project is also building a community of practice across Africa to share lessons, tools and experience, advise local stakeholders and provide training.

NAHI is implementing PRESA activities in Wambabya forest riverine system (Hoima) and Rushebeya-Kanyabaha wetland landscape (Kabale) in the Albertine rift, the associate site within the Western highlands of Uganda; working with partners to facilitate development of workable rewards for environmental service agreements. Working towards achieving the PRESA goal, the projects focuses on the following outcomes.

1.    A set of landscapes in the highlands of East and West Africa have workable environmental service agreements providing fair rewards to ecosystem stewards
2.    Private companies become increasingly involved in a range of initiatives for ecosystem management in the highlands of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Guinea, including policy dialog with public agencies and fair contracts for ecosystem management.
3.    Improved quality and increased number of environmental service reward mechanisms in place and operational in the highlands of East and West Africa.

For PRESA sites in Africa and other related information, visit http://presa.worldagroforestry.org