Engaging businesses in local efforts to protect ecosystem services : barriers and opportunities

2 pages ; Payments for ecosystem services (PES) is an emerging conservation strategy that provides economic incentives for the protection of ecosystem services that benefit society, such as the provision of clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat. PES initiatives to date have largely been driven by the public and non-profit sectors, but there is increasing interest in the role that the private sector can play. One proposed approach is the development of local water quality focused PES initiatives, but questions remain over how best to engage businesses in these efforts. To address these questions, we examined the barriers and opportunities for engaging businesses in local PES initiatives. ; This research was supported by funding from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Grant #2011- 67023-30108.