Paiements pour services environnementaux et biodiversité dans les pays du sud. Le salut par la « déforestation évitée »

In southern countries, payments for environmental services (PES) to conserve biodiversity are expected to be scaled up in the context of the climate change-driven REDD mechanism, also called ?avoided deforestation?. Existing PES show that payments more often compensate for local opportunity costs, rather than for the value of the services effectively provided, which appear difficult to estimate in the case of biodiversity. However, there are effectiveness and equity issues associated with this approach. This article explains how PES need to go beyond simply compensating opportunity costs in order to become more effective in conserving biodiversity and equitable in providing development opportunities to local people.