ANNOUNCEMENTS
In this study, a local-level water governance initiative in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh is observed to make inferences about the implementation of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). The Palampur town receives a part of its water supply from the Bohal Spring which originates in the Bohal Spring shed, 15 km upstream from Palampur. As a result, a contract between the Palampur Municipal Council (PMC) and the Village Forest Development Society (VFDS) of the upstream villages was signed to conserve the Bohal spring shed which would sustain the flow of the spring. The present environmental governance initiative lacks any kind of payment or compensation which covers the cost borne by the locals in conservation. This indicates a disincentive for the upstream villagers to conserve. It also overlooks the power dynamics between stakeholders and the upstream intra-community conflicts which can impede collective action.
The objective of this study is to capture the dynamics between stakeholders, identify potential causes of conflict and collation among various stakeholder in conservation of the Bohal spring shed. The study also analyzes stakeholder’s perception of PES and identifies the components of opportunity costs associated with the spring shed conservation in Bohal. These elements are analyzed in terms of their implications for a PES contract between VFDS and PMC
The stakeholder analysis points towards imbalanced power relations between the upstream and downstream stakeholders. It also finds that weak local upstream institutions are inefficient in ensuring participation and creating collective action for conservation. The study finds that despite valuing the cultural and regulating services of the Bohal spring shed, the villagers are not willing to participate in conservation due to the opportunity costs that they are facing. Thus, in order to continue the Bohal spring shed conservation, along with the strengthening of upstream institutions, a PES with higher payments that incorporates villagers’ opportunity cost is needed.
