Relationship between Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs and Disasters in Southeast Atlantic Forest region, Brazil

Abstract

Ecosystem services significantly contribute to ecosystems resilience and stability. In this sense, payment for ecosystem services can be designed and applied to prevent or decrease environmental disaster risks. This study aimed at verifying whether municipalities taking part in PES programs present higher number of natural disasters (flood, drought, landslide and fire) between 2009 and 2020 in the Paraíba do Sul river basin. We expected that municipalities having more disaster events would take part in more projects, which we found. Programs can be implemented in response to the increase in natural disasters. We also expected PES calls to explicitly target natural disaster prevention measures and actions, which we did not observe. We found actions related to soil conservation and vegetation cover that might prevent risks, but there were no mentions of disasters. It is concerning that PES in Vale do Paraíba Paulista programs have not been addressing natural disaster risk reduction in a landscape, where floods, droughts, anthropogenic fires and erosion problems associated with hilly reliefs have been increasing in the last years.