Browsing by Author "Scherr, Sara J."

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Compensation and Rewards for Environmental Services in the Developing World: Framing Pan-Tropical Analysis and Comparison
(2009) Swallow, Brent M.; Kallesoe, Mikkel F.; Iftikhar, Usman A.; van Noordwijk, Meine; Bracer, Carina; Scherr, Sara J.; Raju, K. Vengamma; Poats, Susan V.; Duraiappah, Anantha Kumar; Ochieng, Benson O.; Mallee, Hein; Rumley, Rachael
"This is the first of a series of papers that review the state of knowledge and practice regarding compensation and rewards for environmental services in the developing world. The paper begins with an assessment of the historical development of compensation and reward mechanisms within a broader context of changing approaches to nature conservation and environmental policy. The assessment shows that greater interest in compensation and reward mechanisms has emerged within a policy context of changing approaches to nature conservation and flexible multi-stakeholder approaches to environmental management. In the developing world, an even greater variety of perspectives has emerged on the opportunities and threats for using compensation and rewards for environmental services. Within that background, the paper clarifies key concepts—including the distinction between compensation and reward —and presents a conceptual framework for typifying and characterizing different types of mechanisms that link ecosystem stewards, ecosystem service beneficiaries, and intermediaries."
Forest Carbon and Local Livelihoods: Assessment of Opportunities and Policy Recommendations
(2002) Smith, Joyotee; Scherr, Sara J.
"Projects implemented as part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol will have the dual mandate of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to sustainable development. Basic agreement on core elements was reached in 2001, including the decision to allow afforestation and reforestation projects. However, it is not yet clear what rules will address social concerns. Many types of projects could potentially contribute to local livelihoods and ecosystem restoration, as well as to carbon emission offsets, including those using natural forest regeneration, agroforests, improved forest fallows, and agroforestry."
Integrated Land and Water Management for Food and Environmental Security
(2003) Penning de Vries, F.W.T.; Acquay, H.; Molden, David; Scherr, Sara J.; Valentin, C.; Cofie, Olufunke O.
"This document focuses on the impact of degradation of land and water on food and environmental security. It aims to provide a basis for priority policy and research actions that will counteract the progression of degradation and will reduce its impact on household food security and the loss of other ecosystem services."
Organizational Development and Natural Resource Management: Evidence from Central Honduras
(2002) Pender, John; Scherr, Sara J.
"The determinants of local organizational density and the impacts of local and external organizations on collective and private natural resource management decisions are investigated based on a survey of 48 villages in central Honduras. Factors positively associated with local organizational development include the presence of external organizations, population level, moderate population growth, lower population density, the presence of immigrants, distance from the urban market, literacy and coffee production. Local organizations are found to contribute to collective action to conserve resources, while government organizations appear to displace it, though not in all cases. The findings suggest that external organizations can play a catalytic role in fostering development of local organizations and emphasize the importance of improved understanding of the roles of local organizations, in order to enhance complementarity and minimize competition between these different agents in promoting sustainable development."
Organizational Development and Natural Resource Management: Evidence from Central Honduras
(1999) Pender, John; Scherr, Sara J.
"The determinants of local organizational density and the impacts of local and external organizations on collective and private natural resource management decisions are investigated based on a survey of 48 villages in central Honduras. Factors positively associated with local organizational development include the presence of external organizations, population level, moderate population growth, lower population density, the presence of immigrants, distance from the urban market, literacy and coffee production. Local organizations are found to contribute to collective action to conserve resources, while government organizations appear to displace it, though not in all cases. The findings suggest that external organizations can play a catalytic role in fostering development of local organizations and emphasize the importance of improved understanding of the roles of local organizations, in order to enhance complementarity and minimize competition between these different agents in promoting sustainable development."
A Review of Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry Problem Areas and Policy Research Needs and the Planned Response of the CGIAR System
(1994) Spears, John S.; Oram, P.; Byron, Neil; Scherr, Sara J.; Izac, A.M.
"Recognizing that policy research would become a high priority for CGIAR related forestry and agroforestry research, it was decided in 1990 to sponsor a series of forestry and agroforestiy policy workshops involving national forest policy and research institution leaders, representatives of local and international NGOs and donor agencies. The objective was to obtain a better understanding of the main problem areas that could benefit from a CGIAR strategic research input. The key issues that emerged from the five workshops are summarized in this report. Tropical forestry and agroforestry problem areas and policy research needs are reviewed in Part I and Annex 3 of the report. Based on the discussion in Part I, Part II introduces the policy research programs of the CGIAR Centres, focusing on CIFOR, ICRAF and IFPRI, and presents the research priority setting and planned responses of these CGIAR Centres to each of the identified five problem areas. The program of intercentre collaboration and possible research activities outlined in the report is based on unconstrained resources which would ensure that CIFOR, ICRAF and IFPRI are allocated the resources requested in their Medium Term Plans. Thus, the Workshop series and this final report should not only be viewed as a research agenda which will trigger immediate responses but also as a useful mechanism for formulating the CGIAR Centres' long-term policy research direction and research needs to be addressed by national research institutions."
Trends and Future Potential of Payment for Ecosystem Services to Alleviate Rural Poverty in Developing Countries
(2010) Milder, Jeffrey C.; Scherr, Sara J.; Bracer, Carina
"Payment for ecosystem services (PES) is a market-based approach to environmental management that compensates land stewards for ecosystem conservation and restoration. Because low-income households and communities control much of the ecologically sensitive land in developing countries, they potentially stand to gain from PES, as environmentally responsible stewardship is assigned a value by various actors in society. To date, however, instances of PES benefiting the poor have been limited mainly to specific localities, small-scale projects, and a handful of broader government programs. We analyze the size, characteristics, and trends of PES to evaluate its future potential to benefit low-income land stewards in developing countries. We estimate that by the year 2030, markets for biodiversity conservation could benefit 10–15 million low-income households in developing countries, carbon markets could benefit 25–50 million, markets for watershed protection could benefit 80–100 million, and markets for landscape beauty and recreation could benefit 5–8 million. If payments and markets reach these potentials, they could provide a non-negligible contribution to poverty alleviation at the global level."