The valuable environmental services provided by natural ecosystems are too often lost as a result of mismanagement and lack of incentives to preserve them.  Helping countries find innovative solutions to such problems- which intersect with livelihood, vulnerability, and health issues- is a key element of the World Bank's Strategy.  The Bank's innovative work on Payments for Environmental Services (PES) is an example of these efforts.

This section is designed to share conceptual and empirical information on systems of payments for environmental services. It includes a project outlining the design of a system of payments for environmental services.

What is PES?

Find out what problems PES is addressing, how it works and what makes it attractive.

Best Practice in PES Design               

Learn what is involved in designing PES mechanisms.

PES Projects and Case Studies

Detailed information on World Bank projects that have PES components.

 Explore the links between PES and poverty.

PES Publications

 World Bank publications on PES