NOBEL - Novel business models and mechanisms for the sustainable supply of and payment for forest ecosystem services

NOBEL - Novel business models and mechanisms for the sustainable supply of and payment for forest ecosystem services

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are an important mechanism to link the demands of the society with the service providers. The objectives of the project NOBEL are:

(i)      to develop business models and mechanisms to internalise the socio-economic value of forest ecosystems,

(ii)    combine public policy tools with business models for implementing payments for forest ecosystem service (FES) at multiple levels, and

(iii)   demonstrate and compare alternative approaches for payments in case studies in Europe.

NOBEL will explore the requirements for disseminating spatial information for the development of business models and innovative policies for the provision of FES. In NOBEL three types of business models will be considered a) direct interaction between FES providers and FES beneficiaries b) interaction between business companies and FES providers where companies pay directly to providers and pass the costs (totally or partially) to their clients, and c) interaction between government and FES providers, where the government pays providers for their services and passes the costs to consumers via taxes or fees. In implementing these business models, alternative mechanisms for the payments (e.g. voluntary payments, natural capital markets) will be explored. A web-based auctioning platform and a spatial information platform will be developed to support the design of business models for multifunctional forest management. For the prediction and optimization of multiple FES a framework of indicators will be designed and available forest ecosystem models will be applied. Management practices, stakeholder attitudes and consumer behavior will be discussed at supra-national and regional level with policy makers, providers and beneficiaries. Seven universities and institutes are part of NOBEL.