Can short-term payments for ecosystem services deliver long-term tree cover change?

Abstract

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) have been heralded as an effective strategy to increase tree cover in agricultural landscapes, but their efficacy beyond the payment period has rarely been evaluated. I compared land covers before and 13 years after implementation of a short-term PES project that promoted the adoption of silvopastoral systems (SPS) in a cattle ranching landscape in Colombia. I used satellite images to quantify on-farm changes and farm-to-landscape differences in land cover change. On average, treeless pasture area decreased by 7% more and areas with tree cover increased 8% more on silvopastoral farms relative to the surrounding landscape. Short-term payments facilitated the adoption of SPS leading to a significantly greater increase in tree cover, which is still visible on participant farms a decade later. The results highlight the potential of short-term PES as a tool to facilitate the permanent adoption of SPS and to support restoration efforts in pasture-dominated landscapes.