BASIS CRSP Biodiversity Conservation
Activities
Michael Carter
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The BASIS Collaborative Research Support Program is a virtual
institute comprised of researchers from around the globe that operates in
support of USAID’s Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade. BASIS
aims to improve the quality of life for the rural poor in the developing world
through policy-relevant research that is dedicated to improving access to
resources and enhancing the operation of factor markets. In addition to funding
research, BASIS sponsors policy-oriented conferences that integrate the themes
and findings of its research projects into a coherent and effective voice about
policy priorities and options.
In its project portfolio, BASIS currently supports one
project on mechanisms to support biodiversity conversation. Under the
leadership of John M. Kerr (Michigan State University) and Suyanto
(International Centre for Research in Agroforestry) the “Property Rights,
Environmental Services and Poverty in Indonesia” project is analyzing the
effectiveness and distributional impacts of a payment for environmental
services scheme that rewards smallholders who exhibit good stewardship of
forest resources with legal title to the land they occupy and use.
Over the next year, and in cooperation with the SANREM
program, BASIS will be implementing a series of research and policy conferences
on Payment for Environmental Services (PES) schemes. Building on research
projects in Africa, Asia, and