Ikalahan people document and quantify provision of environmental services from forest management systems to solicit local and global service buyers

Abstract

The Ikalahan Ancestral Domain covers 58,000 ha of mountainous forest and farmlands and provides water for the cities and irrigation systems below. There are many endangered bird species present which need protection. RUPES will study carbon sequestration, watershed protection, and biodiversity and the test payments for these services. The potential buyers are the irrigation systems downstream and ecotourism. The community-based forest management approach of the Ikalahan promotes conservation, reforestation, and productive agroforest management, as well as data collection on carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and watershed services (such as water flow and quality) in order to strengthen their capacity to negotiate with potential buyers of the environmental services they provide.