Innovations in private land conservation: An integrated evaluation of payment for environmental services in the Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor in Costa Rica

Establishment of biological corridors between protected areas throughout Mesoamerica has been endorsed as a high priority by the region's political leaders. Costa Rica has led the way in developing incentive programs that encourage private landowners to participate in this effort. This research applied an integrated approach to evaluating the Payment for Environmental Services Program (PSA) as an innovative mechanism for implementing the Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor (PTBC) in southwestern Costa Rica. Contextual analysis guided by a fusion of social science theories evaluated: (1) trends and conditions that characterized the region over time; (2) the program's cultural acceptability, profitability, and ecological contribution; (3) factors that influenced the adoption and diffusion of PSA in this region during 1998--2002; and (4) the effectiveness of the management decision making process.; Participants tended to have larger properties, were generally more educated, and tended not to live on-farm. Institutional program policies established certain barriers to participation which limited the ability of some landowners to participate, regardless of their interest. Extension agents promoting PSA in the region played a primary role in determining which landowners were enrolled in PSA---with limited financial resources and the ultimate goal of protecting the greatest contiguous area of forestlands, foresters promoting PSA focused efforts on the largest properties within the established priority zones.; PSA made positive ecological contributions toward implementation of the PTBC---threat of deforestation and forest fragmentation was mitigated on 4,133 hectares across this region. On the other hand, the breadth of PSA's economic contribution to the region was less pronounced. By 2002, payments to participants in the region totaled nearly US{dollar}175.000 per year; however, PSA was not distributed widely---only 50 landowners were inscribed during this period. Nevertheless, forest conservation and the concept of ecosystem services are culturally-acceptable, even in this remote and traditionally agricultural region.; Addressing decision process breakdowns, including: (a) lack of contract flexibility for small landowners, (b) lack of field monitoring, and (c) lack of theoretical guidance for agroforestry payments would enhance the success of PSA as a mechanism for private land conservation and corridor implementation.