“Ecosystem services” has become one of the most popular concepts in the management and governance of natural resources. Since Costanza et al. 1997’s paper and the Catskill, Costa Rica and Vittel schemes, it has generated a huge body of literature and the mushrooming of projects in watersheds, forests (REDD), biodiversity and wildlife conservation, as well as carbon. Yet many theoretical and practical questions remain unanswered. What has been gained and lost in the passage from the concept of “ecosystem services” to “payments for ecosystem services”? What are the limits of the concept, the uncertainties and the aspects on which further theoretical development is required? Isn’t the concept overstretched and overused? Can it cope with its own popularity and with the complexity of real-life situations? In what contexts and under what conditions are the ES inspired schemes been the most efficient? Are social, ecological and economic efficiencies compatible? These are some of the questions that could be addressed by the contributors to this panel.

Keynote Speakers:

• Professor Erwin Bulte, Wageningen University
• Professor Stephen Polasky, University of Minnesota