Biodiversity outcomes of payment for ecosystem services: lessons from páramo grasslands

摘要: As payment for ecosystem services (PES) programs grow around the world, so have concerns over whether a focus on will also protect biodiversity. Biodiverse Ecuadorian paramo grasslands become hotspot PES in an effort to water supplies, sequester carbon, conserve biodiversity, and improve rural livelihoods. However, outcomes of PES-incentivized land management, particularly burn exclusion, plant communities their associated remain poorly understood. To address this science-policy gap, we evaluated richness number cover ten major growth forms two study areas with chronosequences exclusion. Both species was highest sites intermediate times-since-last tussock grasses—critical protecting soils maintaining hydrologic function—recovered within 3–6 years after fire at both areas, suggesting that targeting do not need exclude burning ensure adequate vegetation long-term. shrub were slower recover, indicating conserving composition characteristic less disturbed paramos requires some protection from burning. Findings provide broad lessons focused biodiversity point importance clearly defining ecological goals since land-use prescriptions may differ depending management objective.