Developing an equitable rewards scheme for water storage and livelihood improvement in the Manupali watershed, southern Philippines

Rewards for ecosystem services (RES) is an increasingly used alternative approach to environmental management. In this approach, ecosystem service (ES) users pay for or provide appropriate rewards to land managers for adopting land-use practices that conserve or improve the level of ES. The approach’s impacts are often evaluated based on their ecological effectiveness, economic efficiency, and social equity. While the meaning of equity as used in this approach still lacks clarity, there is no doubt that it is central to achieve just and sustainable outcomes on environmental management.