Mekong - U.S. Partnership
From November 24 to 25, key stakeholders from Lower Mekong countries participated in a regional workshop on payment for environmental services (PES) co-hosted by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Center for International Forestry Research and Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Fifty-five participants from government, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and academia shared experiences and lessons learned from PES-related policies and projects implemented in their countries.
Participants discussed ways to strengthen payment and performance monitoring systems and highlighted the need to develop biological criteria and conduct economic cost assessments to ensure that the benefits to the ecosystem derived from the process can be sustained.
USAID, through various programs, including the USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forest, Vietnam Forests and Deltas and USAID Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in Mekong, sponsored participation at the event.
Source: USAID/RDMA Regional Environment Office Weekly Update
