Simpson Centre Policy Trends: Payment for Ecosystem Services, Who Should Pay the Bill?

Society has long valued the ecosystem services provided by nature and increasingly recognizes that landscapes where management practices result in positive ecological outcomes are vital public goods. This includes clean water, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.

While good for the planet, implementation of practices that produce public goods are at odds with increased profitability and may require ongoing spending to maintain the management practices. The question becomes, who should pay for these ecosystem services and how?

The roundtable emphasized PES’s potential to foster sustainable agriculture while addressing ecological and economic challenges. Alberta can strengthen its leadership by prioritizing collaboration, outcome-based verification, and innovative funding models. Ongoing discussions and policy adjustments will be crucial to achieving these goals.