Rewards for, Use of, and Shared Investment in, Pro-poor Environmental Services project, phase 2. Research sites in Asia 2008-2012

RUPES phase 2 (Rewards for, use of, and shared investment in pro-poor
environmental services) (2008–2012) expanded its work to 10 more action
research sites in six countries: Songhuaba, Tibetan Plateau and Xishuangbanna
in China; Lake Loktak in India; Cidanau, Citarum and Kuningan in Indonesia;
Shivapuri in Nepal; Lantapan in the Philippines; and Bac Kan in Viet Nam. In
addition, RUPES also continued collaboration with other organizations and
projects at six learning sites across Asia.
RUPES has encouraged adoption of improved forest, land and watershed
management practices through environmental services compensation and
rewards’ schemes by promoting a set of principles: realistic, conditional,
voluntary and pro-poor1. RUPES supported rewards’ mechanisms that
provided cash payments to farmers who conducted reforestation and
conservation activities, such as the Sloping Farmland Conversion Program
and Grassland Conservation Rewards Program in China, a voluntary carbon
scheme in Singkarak, and a reforestation scheme on farmers’ private land in
Cidanau.