RESEARCH

ESPA (Ecosystem services and poverty alleviation):

Ecosystems are subject to many pressures (e.g., land-use change, resource demands, population changes); their extent and pattern of distribution is changing, and landscapes are becoming more fragmented. Climate change constitutes an additional pressure that could change or endanger ecosystems and the many goods and services they provide.

Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation is aiming to deliver high quality research that will deliver improved understanding of how ecosystems function, the services they provide, the full value of these services, and their potential role in achieving sustainable poverty reduction. ESPA research will also provide the evidence and tools to enable decision makers and end users to manage ecosystems sustainably and in a way that contributes to poverty reduction.

ESPA will also focus on how the participating sectors like forest, agriculture, horticulture, irrigation, NGOs and community can work together and develop an integrated approach towards Ecosystem Services.