Stakeholder Perceptions of Mexico’s Payment for Environmental Services Program: A Comparative Study of Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts in Oaxaca and Yucatán

This study evaluates the impacts of Mexico’s national Payment for Environmental Services- Hydrological program (PSA-H), which has been touted as one of the most successful payment for ecosystem services (PES) programs worldwide. Survey and interview data was collected in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Yucatán in order to assess stakeholder perceptions of PSA-H on the ground. These stakeholders consist of professionals who have worked closely in the design or implementation of PSA-H, and both program beneficiary and non-beneficiary private property owners and community members. We analyzed this data by comparing stakeholder perceptions to PSA-H design assumptions for the following themes: forest valuation, the potential for ecosystem service market development, and poverty alleviation. Discrepancies that arise through this comparison help to illuminate how PSA-H design and implementation could be improved so as to generate greater and more sustainable socioeconomic and environmental impacts. Furthermore, contrasts drawn between the states of Oaxaca and Yucatán demonstrate different obstacles to successful implementation that the national program may encounter depending on underlying social, economic, or environmental conditions. Not only are these findings useful for informing PSA-H design as the program continues to evolve, but they are also applicable to the design and implementation of PES programs worldwide.