This conference will serve as a forum to discuss the various types of payment for environmental services, the issues associated with each type, and the successes and failures to date. The discussion will be driven by questions such as: Can payment for environmental services mechanisms lead to conservation? Can such mechanisms be as economically viable as other uses? How can these methods be better integrated into conservation and management plans? What are the potential negative consequences from the standpoints of conservation, local livelihoods, and economic optimization? How can active trading markets for ecosystem services be developed? And, are payments for avoided deforestation and reduced carbon emissions feasible?  

dates: 2-3 March 2007  
venue: Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies  
location: New Haven, Connecticut, US  
e-mail: istf@yale.edu  
www: http://www.yale.edu/istf/