In the latest volume of the journal Ecological Economics, I contribute to ongoing debates about the role of economic valuation in market-based conservation. I respond to an earlier piece by Brett Sylvester Matulis, nuance some of his arguments and set what I believe should be the new agenda for critical scholarship of market-based conservation. I […]
“We are the city lungs”. Payments for ecosystem services in the outskirts of Mexico city.
In a recently published article in the journal Land Use Policy, we reflect on the impact of a public program of payments for forest conservation in the outskirts of Mexico city. Have been such payments effective in protecting forests? What are the main challenges in this regard? Have been payments a means to support local people’s […]
Social equity matters in payments for ecosystem services
Although conservation efforts have sometimes succeeded in meeting environmental goals at the expense of equity considerations, the changing context of conservation and a growing body of evidence increasingly suggest that equity considerations should be integrated into conservation planning and implementation. In an article recently published in the journal Bioscience, and led by my colleague Unai […]
Bioenergy and climate change mitigation
Jointly with other IPCC colleagues, we have reviewed the potential of bioenergy for climate change mitigation. In a new article published in Global Change Biology Bioenergy, we summarize technological options, outline the state-of-the-art knowledge on various climate effects, provide an update on estimates of technical resource potential and comprehensively identify sustainability effects. Stabilization scenarios indicate […]
Sustainable Biofuels and the Global South
The Geoforum Special Issue “Sustainable Biofuels and the Global South” has finally seen the light. Brilliantly co-edited by Carol Hunsberger (University of Western Ontario) and Stefano Ponte (Copenhagen Business School), it encompasses a number of articles that review biofuel governance frameworks in several countries, provide evidence on biofuels’ certification processes and policy discourses, and highlight […]
On the wrong track
The IPCC 5th Assessment Report – Working Group 3 Mitigation Report is finally out there, for all of you to read…. Of course, 2,000 pages are probably too many, so it may be more feasible to read only the Summary for Policy Makers… But if you are a scientist interested on climate change mitigation, then […]
Reflections on Biofuels in El Periódico (Spanish Newspaper)
Find attached some personal reflections on the expansion of agrofuels that appeared a few weeks ago in the Spanish newspaper El Periódico, which derive from another article I co-authored in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Article in El Periódico & UAB Divulga (17 de Febrer 2014). Article in Environmental Research Letters.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Global Environmental Change
I’m pleased to inform you that a special issue entitled ‘Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Global Environmental Change: Research findings and policy directions‘ has been published in the open access journal Ecology & Society. Together with my colleagues Erik Gómez-Baggethun and Victoria Reyes-García, we put together a very good collection of articles reflecting on the dynamics […]
Millors Universitats
En la seva carta a La Vanguardia, el Sr. Carles Bastons i Vivanco (“Els 12 perquès”, 17/XI/2013) es pregunta per què les universitats espanyoles no apareixen entre les 200 millors del món. Després de 10 anys com a investigador al Regne Unit i els últims dos temporalment integrat a una universitat catalana, crec que estic […]
Deaf and blind? Why I am troubled about the future of PES research
Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have emerged as a potential tool to achieve conservation in diverse socio-economic and cultural contexts. Empirical research with examples from the global North and South is booming. Many studies focus on how payments translate in additional service provision (i.e. effectiveness) and/or if they contribute to benefit targeted land users whilst […]