11. Benefits and the case for PES in Enhancing Sustainable Forest Management in Sierra Leone This section is incorporated with the aim of addressing a special case for PES and its overarching
11.2 Benefits of PES in the Context of Sierra Leone
Despite some of the highlight challenges / concerns about PES, there are obvious benefits; with reference to Sierra Leone, it is a worthwhile venture of investment given the long-standing difficulties the country has experienced in recent past; to name a few, nearly two decades of civil war, Ebola pandemic and now the global calamity of COVID-19 pandemic (Jackson, 2021b; Jackson, 2016).
Based on the Government of Sierra Leone (2010) report, some of the benefits of adopting PES scheme are summarised as highlighted below:
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Significant amount of high carbon habitat: natural tropical high forest or rainforest, secondary forest, farm bush, woodlands, swamp forest, mangrove forest, abandoned tree-crop plantations and reserved and degraded forest reserves;-
High presence of biodiversity, with huge potential for international tourist attraction.-
Strong potential for community involvement in the forestry sector, supported by fertile soil for the growth of Participatory Forest Management [PFM] and REDD+ programmes.-
Potential for high level of tree crop farming including cocoa, coffee and rubber farms.-
Preliminary expression of interest and a large potential client base for the purchase of future credits as initiated in Sierra Leone.-
High prospects for the creation of job opportunities, more so sustainable employment for those in rural and forest dependent communities, who for quite a while may not have had the opportunity of being gainfully employed.-
Sierra Leone to recognize forestry as a climate change issue in her international-
UNFCCC negotiation process; an intervention strategy for the inclusion of REDD into the Kyoto Protocol and, subsequently into, the CDM.12. Conclusion
PES is a challenge in testing an economy’s endurance / strengths in battling with the possible future prospects of reversing a collapsed environmental system to a more sustainably managed environment for the benefit of present and future generations. Though the process is voluntary in nature, communities and the government of Sierra Leone must be ready to endure the strains of imposed conditions, which in most cases may create delay in payment received, after being cleared off three rigorous test conditions. The difficulty associated with the PES programme is the fact that failure in meeting one of the conditions may result in non-payment, which eventually may impact adversely on
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livelihoods for those considered too highly dependent on forest renewable resources such as Timber and Non-timber products.
Recommendations in ensuring a successful implementation of the programme, with reference to Sierra Leone are highlighted below:
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Ensuring contingency funds are kept aside for the benefit of the poor and residents in rural communities, more so for Public-Private and Private PES related programmes. This will make it possible for those highly dependent on Forest resources for their basic livelihoods to secure temporary and short term sources of activities to meet basic household needs, for example, meeting the cost of children's education, and the financing of daily household chores.-
Ensuring people are fully aware about the details of PES conditionality; in such situation, it is absolutely vital that (legal) documents are transcribed in local vernacular or an interpreter is used to make it possible for those participating in the voluntary plan are fully aware about challenges, and as well future opportunities.-
Ensuring basic education is incorporated as part of PES initial programme implementation to raise awareness about all required stages, and as well as the different activities that may be involved once the programme is fully implemented. As expressed by Goulder and Pizer (2006: 6), ‘Act today or Wait for Better Information’ - uncertainty raises questions about the cost of mitigating climate change issues, on account of the continued destruction caused to the environment, through activities like deforestation perpetrated by mankind. Hence, on application of economic theory, the absence of fixed costs and irreversibility(ies) [high costs associated with destruction caused to the environment], mitigation can be made possible at a point where expected marginal costs and benefits are equal. In this situation, the introduction of basic education to alert communities and forest users about the aforementioned technicalities will help raise awareness about the seriousness of PES as a means to preserving the environment, while at the same time maintaining sustainable means of livelihoods for the benefit of users / those depending on renewable forest resources.-
Fostering community cohesion amongst rural or forest dwellers as a way of raising awareness of the full benefits of different (agricultural) activities considered necessary as part of the implementation and monitoring of PES. Through this, the acquisition of leadership skills can also be an opportunity for community members, thereby making it possible for negotiation to be established between PES beneficiaries and forest managers \ government representatives. There is all chances that community cohesion can also help address ways of accessing less stringent means of funding PES through negotiation with government-led institutions like the central bank / other financial intermediaries as seen in the case with Islamic Development Bank through their department finance model (Beck, Demirgüç-Kunt and Merrouche, 2010). Where profitability is kept at a minimum, it is possible for people to gain access to easy means of financing development funds in support of their initiatives. In such a case, interest rates charged should be made infinitesimal, or capped to maximum for all recipients, be it individual or community-led organisations.References (Including Books and Journal Articles)
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