PAYMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TERRITORY

Abstract

Over the last years the interest in environmental services provided by forests has considerably grow. This situation, in developed countries, derive from rising demand of new goods and services tied to landscape use and leisure activities. These can be considered such as no woody products and they represent externalities produced by forest that, if suitably utilized, could produce value for the area and earnings for people living near forests. From an economic point of view, at the aim of providing these services, it is necessary the introduction of a suitable payment system or, in alternative, a situation in which positive externalities of landscape, in sync with other goods/services, are offered to consumers. In this context, forest conservation and management assume a very important role, especially when public administration allocates decreasing funds to environment resources. In this paper it has been analyzed how positive externalities provided from forest, by means of an appropriate payment system and considering the integration with surrounding area, can contribute to the value creation.