24 February 2022- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under MUTACUANE project, presented a session on Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) to 12 government technicians that are part of a Working Group created by the Ministry of Land and Environment (MTA), through the National Directorate of Forests (DINAF) and composed of seven related ministries, with the mission to establish a common mechanism for Payments for Ecosystem Services in Mozambique.
During the meeting, which was aimed cross-sectoral coordination and harmonization of a Payment for Ecosystem Services mechanism in Mozambique, the MUTACUANE Project Coordinator, Walter Mapanda, explained the concept of PES, the ways PES works, the possible structure of PES policy and procedures, and its advantages in ecosystem conservation and improvement of livelihoods.

According to Walter, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is a conservation strategy based on economic incentives to achieve environmentally responsive outcomes. This payment can be made to individuals or organizations that provide high-value environmental benefits to society and businesses.

"PES incentivizes users of environmental services to invest in conservation projects. For example, instead of treating dirty water downstream, companies (users) pay farmers, who live in the catchment area to prevent water pollution. With this, we would supply downstream users with clean water and at the same time improved livelihoods for the farmers upstream", Walter explained.

One of the outstanding suggestions from the technicians present at the presentation was that, in the strategic document on PES procedures and policies, the roles of the government and partners should be explicitly mentioned so that it is known "who does what". Overall, the participants appreciated the presentation by FAO and encouraged the continuation of similar sessions.

FAO's commitment is to continue to facilitate presentations on PES to the seven ministries already identified in order to keep recording experiences on criteria and procedures that each institution has and discussing potential criteria and procedures for the establishment of an intersectoral mechanism for Payments for Ecosystem Services.

The overall objective of the MUTACUANE project is to promote biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation in miombo forest ecosystems, through the improvement of the existing revenue sharing mechanism that supports sustainable use and conservation of forests and wildlife and improves local peoples' livelihoods.