Payments for Ecosystem Services -Forests for water quality benefits

(PESFOR-W) – MC6 Gregory Valatin

Centre for Ecosystems, Society & Biosecurity Forest Research

Alice Holt Lodge

Farnham Surrey

England

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1) Welcome all! 2) Quorate?

September 2018

Austria [AT]

Belgium [BE]

Bosnia and Herzegovina [BA]

Bulgaria [BG]

Croatia [HR]

Czech Republic [CZ]

Denmark [DK]

Estonia [EE]

Finland [FI]

France [FR]

Germany [DE]

Greece [EL]

Hungary [HU]

Ireland [IE]

Italy [IT]

Latvia [LV]

Luxembourg [LU]

fYR Macedonia [MK]

Montenegro [ME]

Netherlands [NL]

Norway [NO]

Poland [PL]

Portugal [PT]

Romania [RO] Serbia [RS]

Slovakia [SK] Slovenia [SI]

Spain [ES]

Sweden [SE]

Switzerland [CH]

United Kingdom [UK]

Turkey [TR] MC Rules of procedure: 1 vote per COST signatory country

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3) Adoption of the Agenda

September 2018

1. Welcome to participants;

2. Verification of the presence of two-thirds of the Participating COST Countries or, if applicable, a quorum

3. Adoption of agenda

4. Matters arising from last meeting and recent Core Group meeting

5. Update from the Action Chair: a) Status of Action: start & end dates of Action, participating COST countries, participating NNC/ IPC institutions and Specific Organisations.

6. Update from the Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) Coordinator

7. Update from the Grant Holder: Action budget status

8. Update from the COST Association (if a representative is present)

9. Monitoring of the Action (24-month report)

10. Implementation of COST policies: a) Promotion of gender balance and Early Career Investigators (ECI) & Inclusiveness (see list of ITCs) and Excellence

11. Follow-up of MoU objectives: progress report of working groups

12. Scientific planning a) Scientific strategy (MoU objectives, GP Goals, WG tasks and deliverables) - Spatial repository, online survey & case studies…

b) Action Budget Planning

c) Long-term planning (including anticipated locations and dates of future activities) – Bulgaria…;

d) Dissemination planning (Publications and outreach activities) – plans for woodlands & water PES session at the Ecosystem Partnership conference 14-19 October 2018

(San Sebastián, Spain); Dissemination & Exploitation plan

13. Requests to join the Action: a) COST countries

b) Institutions in Near Neighbouring Countries, International Partner Countries, International Organisations, etc

14. AOB - linking with related COST Actions (LAND4Flood etc) & providing information on governance for WG1

15. Location and date of next meeting

16. Summary of MC decisions

17. Closing

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4) Matters arising from past meetings

September 2018

1) GP3 budget:

• delay in receiving first grant installment from the COST Association delayed in reimbursing participants’ expenses for the Norway meeting – now reimbursed.

• ~€8k remaining from allocation for the Norway meeting in July

• €64232 allocated; €52858 expenses reimbursed

• (allowing also for €4k allocation to dissemination grants & ~€1k less spent on ITC conference grants than budgeted)

• decision to allocate €8573 for WG3 workshop in Oct

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4) Matters arising from past meetings

September 2018

2) STSMs:

• Second GP3 call: deadline: 31st October 2018 • Priority topics:

– WG3: potential buyers’ motivations [& potential links to carbon markets]

– WG4: Collecting case study information for spatial repository and fact sheets

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4) Matters arising from past meetings

September 2018

3) Forests & water session at the Ecosystem Partnership conference 14-19 October 2018 (San Sebastián, Spain): • two one and a half hour sessions (Session B3) scheduled on the

morning of Wednesday 16th Oct (prior to the WG3 workshop)

– ~10 presentations • programme to be finalised in early Oct

– All PESFOR-W participants at the conference are encouraged to participate

– participants in the WG3 workshop not registered for the conference may be allowed to participate (to be confirmed)

– suggestions for material to include in the presentation about the Action welcome & should be sent to the Chair by Friday 5th Oct.

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5) Update from the Chair

September 2018

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Other (15): • Austria

• Belgium

• Denmark

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Greece

• Ireland

• Italy

• The Netherlands

• Norway

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• United Kingdom

ITCs (17): • Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Bulgaria

• Czech Republic

• Croatia

• Estonia

• Hungary

• Latvia

• Luxembourg

• fYR Macedonia

• Montenegro

• Poland

• Portugal

• Romania

• Serbia

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Turkey

5 countries yet to join:

- Lithuania

- Albania

- Cyprus

- Malta

- Iceland

32 COST countries have signed MoU:

September 2018

5) Update from Chair

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7 countries & 2 international organizations:

September 2018

5) Update: MC Observers

NNCs: • Morocco

• Jordan

• Tunisia

• Ukraine

IPCs: • China

• New Zealand

• Japan

IOs: • European Forestry Institute

• UNECE/FAO

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September 2018

6) STSMs: GP3

• Nikolina Baksic (Aug/Sept 2018)

– ‘Reviewing available pollutant models and decision support tools for informing the design and management of woodland creation measures for reducing agricultural diffuse pollution’

• completed

• Khrystyna Vasylyshyn (Sept/Oct 2018)

– ‘Existing motivations & barriers to PES participants in the EU’

Priority topics for second call (deadline 31st Oct 2018) :

• WG3: potential buyers’ motivations [& potential links to carbon markets]

• WG4: collecting case study information for the spatial repository & fact sheets

• Others?

11 September 2018 11

7) Budget: GP3 (May 2018-April 2019)

12 September 2018 12

7) GP3 Budget: scope for additional activities

Budget Expenditure Unspent

Norway meeting: €64232 €52858 €11373

Dissemination grants -€4000

ITC conference grants €4000 €2970 €1030

WG3 workshop: -€8573

Bulgaria meeting: €47300 (for 50 participants reimbursed)

forecast (for ~40 participants): ~€38k

Rough forecast remaining unspent: ~€9k

- suggested use if funds remain? - additional STSMs?

- WG workshop?

- ITC conference grants?

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8) Update from the COST Association?

September 2018

Science Officer Dr. Mónica Pérez-Cabero

monica.perez@cost.eu

Tel: +32 (0)2 533 38 22

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9) Monitoring: 24 month report

September 2018

Reporting on progress to date

• Objectives

• Deliverables

• Co-authored publications

• funding proposals

• additional achievements

• success stories

15 September 2018

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9) 24 month report: main objective

improve Europe’s capacity to use Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) to achieve Water Framework Directive (WFD) targets & other policy objectives through incentives for planting woodlands to reduce

agricultural diffuse pollution to

watercourses.

16 September 2018

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9) 24-month report: PES design & effectiveness

• 1.The overall research aim is to combine practical, expert knowledge from the forestry, agriculture, water & financial sectors, to improve the design & environmental effectiveness of W-for-W PES, as a means of tackling the major problem of diffuse water pollution impacting on Europe and beyond.

17 September 2018

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9) 24 month report: governance & metrics

2.To characterize and critically evaluate the governance and design of W-for-W PES schemes with regard to:

• service provision (supply);

• policy drivers;

• payments/markets (demand);

• type of governance.

The aim is to assess existing PES schemes & identify organizational arrangements & metrics that could increase their effectiveness.

18 September 2018

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9) 24 mth report: environmental effectiveness?

3.To evaluate the environmental effectiveness of targeted woodland planting in reducing agricultural diffuse pollutants: • sediment

• Nitrate

• Phosphate

• pesticides

• Faecal Indicator Organisms

This aims to address a general lack of awareness within water sectors of the potential for woodland creation to help tackle a major agricultural pressure.

19 September 2018

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9) 24 mth report: spatial repository

4.To develop a European repository of Case Studies that investigate lessons from existing W-for-W PES schemes, to share with practitioners, policy makers & stakeholders to promote best practice. This aims to draw together European & international examples into an open access, trans-disciplinary learning platform highlighting strengths & weaknesses.

20 September 2018

9) 24 mth report: environmental effectiveness

• 5.To To develop User Guidance on the suitability of pollutant, ecosystem service and catchment scale models to quantify the effectiveness of tree planting to reduce diffuse pollution; and provide advice on how PES schemes linking these can be applied.

21 September 2018

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9) 24 month report: capacity building

• 6.To increase Europe’s capacity to use W-for-W PES as a policy tool for delivering water benefits and meeting WFD targets, including by:

– developing a critical mass of skilled experts (both researchers and users) able to commission and deliver well-designed and cost-effective W-for-W PES schemes.

22 September 2018

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9) 24 month report: capacity building

7.To increase Europe’s capacity to tackle the intractable diffuse pollution issue by providing training in technical and economic skills, particularly for Early Career Investigators (ECIs), the ‘PES engineers’ of the future. Over 100 individuals (more than 50% ECIs) will be trained through:

• Training Schools & related workshops.

23 September 2018

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9) 24 mth report: PES skills directory

8.Facilitate interaction between specialists with different skill sets (forestry, agriculture, ecology, hydrology/ hydrogeology, biophysical, economics, law, etc.) needed for PES schemes and create new professional & academic networks via:

• LinkedIn/Facebook

• European PES Skills Directory allowing Training School delegates & linked professionals to register their skills and contact details.

24 September 2018

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9) 24 mth report: stakeholder understanding

To build stakeholder (regulators, governments, land owners & managers, water companies, environmental consultants etc) understanding of the potential for W-for-W PES schemes to meet WFD targets, as well as to deliver other water & wider objectives.

25 September 2018

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9) 24 monthth report: ITCs

• 10.Increase Inclusiveness Target Countries’ (ITCs) access to international expertise & funding, identifying & promoting excellence in science & finance across Europe via:

• WG leadership,

• event hosting

• STSM participation

• use of a Spatial Case Studies map & Glossaries on the web portal

• the European PES Skills Directory

26 September 2018

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9) 24 mth report: gender balance

11.Improve gender balance addressing the acute gender imbalance in the forestry, agriculture, water & environmental finance sectors by targeting:

• female representation of at least 40% in the MC,

• 50% in Training Schools

• positive selection of women for leadership roles

• implementation of the Gender Action Plan.

27 September 2018 27

9) WG1 deliverables MoU:

• 3 STSMs (+ associated reports)

• 1 training school

• Chapter for User Manual

28 September 2018 28

9) WG2 deliverables MoU:

• 3 STSMs

• 2 training schools

• 2 workshops

• Look-up tables

• 1 journal article

• Chapter for User Manual

• Newsletters & trade articles

29 September 2018

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9) WG3 deliverables MoU envisages:

• 4 STSMs & associated reports

• 1 training school

• 1 thought leadership article

• 1 journal paper

• Chapter for User Manual

• Newsletters & trade articles

30 September 2018 30

9) WG4 deliverables MoU:

• 2 STSMs (+ associated report)

• 1 online survey

• factsheets

• Website, spatial hub & skills database

• Synthesis chapter & User Manual

• Use of Social Media + Other KE activities

• Final conference proceedings & Project report

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10) COST Policies & MoU aims

1) Geographic balance:

–Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs) • Leadership of WG activities

• Host activities

• Short-term scientific missions

2) Early Career Investigators (ECIs) • encouraging ECIs (<8yrs experience after PhD) through training + leadership of activities

3) Gender • overcoming an acute imbalance in forestry

– >40% representation of women in the MC

– Positively selecting women for:

» Leadership roles

» Training schools (>50%)

– dissemination plan

4) low Carbon footprint

land travel rather than air encouraged

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10) ITC participants

September 2018 32

COST countries: Nancy Opatija Bryne Albena

Austria [AT] 1 2 Belgium [BE] 1 1 1 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina [BA] 2 Bulgaria [BG] 2 1 2 5 Croatia [HR] 2 6 2 2 Czech Republic [CZ] 1 2 Denmark [DK] 1 1 Estonia [EE] 2 2 1 Finland [FI] 1 1 1 France [FR] 3 3 1 1 Germany [DE] 3 3 2 1 Greece [EL] 2 Hungary [HU] 2 2 2 Ireland [IE] 2 2 1 1 Italy [IT] 4 5 3 Latvia [LV] 1 2 Luxembourg [LU] 1 1 1 fYR Macedonia [MK] 3 3 2 2 Montenegro [ME] 3 3 1 3 Netherlands [NL] 2 1 1 Norway [NO] 1 1 2 1 Poland [PL] 2 2 1 1 Portugal [PT] 1 2 2 1

Romania [RO] 3 2 1 Serbia [RS] 2 3 2 2

Slovakia [SK] 3 2 2 3 Slovenia [SI] 1 3 1 Spain [ES] 2 1 Sweden [SE] 1 2 2 2 Switzerland [CH] 2 2 1 1 Turkey 2 2 United Kingdom [UK] 2 2 3 1 Chair 1 1 1 1

27/57 38/68 16/40 23/41

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11) MoU Objectives Follow-up: GP1 goals

September 2018

Period 1 (Nov 2016 – April 2017) goals:

1) Define a Dissemination & Exploitation Plan

2) Create Website & Spatial hub

3) State of the Art: Commence evidence review on the effectiveness of woodland creation for reducing agricultural diffuse pollution

4) State of the Art: Commence discussions on a common protocol to assess cost-effectiveness of woodlands for water PES schemes

5) State of the Art: Commence characterisation of design & governance aspects of European woodlands-for-water PES

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11) MoU Objectives Follow-up: GP2 goals

September 2018

Period 2 (May 2017 – April 2018) goals:

1) Explore potential investors’ perceptions of what would be needed to attract them to purchase credits

2) Populate and publish preliminary look-up tables on the

effectiveness of woodland measures to reduce agricultural diffuse pollution

3) Write a thought leadership article on assessing the cost-effectiveness of woodlands for water PES

4) Launch an online web survey to gather information on woodlands for water PES schemes

5) Maintain and add to the website and spatial hub

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11) MoU Objectives Follow-up: GP3 goals

September 2018

Period 3 (May 2018 – April 2019) goals:

• 1) Explore motivations and barriers of potential participants in woodlands for water PES (e.g. farmers, water utilities, landowners and the general public)

• 2) Organise a training school on the effectiveness of woodland measures to reduce agricultural diffuse pollution

• 3) Evaluate demand-side (buyer) motivations including potential for linking water payments with those for forest carbon

• 4) Collect key data, including financial & socioeconomic information, on existing W-for-W PES schemes for Case Study fact sheets

• 5) Explore best marketing & communication practices for PES

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12) Scientific Planning

September 2018

a) Scientific strategy (MoU objectives, GP Goals, WG tasks and deliverables)

• Spatial repository

• Case study fact sheets

• Look-up tables

• User manual

• …

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12) Scientific Planning

September 2018

b) Action Budget Planning:

potential GP 4 goals (May 2019–April 2020)? • Explore potential for citizen’s science to monitor woodlands for

water PES schemes;

• Write a chapter for the User Manual on ‘The suitability of pollutant and ecosystem service models to quantify woodland creation impacts on diffuse pollutant losses to water…’;

• Organise a Training School on cost-effectiveness analysis and socioeconomic evaluation of W-for-W PES;

• Publish factsheets on Case Studies of Woodlands-for-Water PES

• Organise a session at the IUFRO World Congress 2019 on ‘Forests for Water PES: Evidence & prospects’.

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12) Scientific Planning

September 2018

c) Long-term planning (including anticipated locations & dates of future activities):

• Ireland (3rd-5th June 2019)?

• …autumn 2019: Slovakia/Austria?

• Denmark (Copenhagen, June 2020)? – format for the final conference?

• potential interest in planning a joint activity (e.g. training school) with LAND4FLOOD

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12) Scientific Planning

September 2018

d) Dissemination planning (Publications & outreach activities)

–Woodlands & water PES session at the IUFRO World Forestry Congress 2019;

-Dissemination & Exploitation plan

- Stakeholder engagement

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13) Requests to join the Action

September 2018

interest expressed in Lithuania

- no formal application received as yet

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15) Location & date of next meeting

September 2018

Location: Ireland?

Date: June 2019?

Thanks very much to Mariyana, Alex & team for

organising the meeting in Bulgaria

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16) Summary

September 2018

Draft minutes to be circulated within 3 weeks