Beyond Carbon: Markets for Water and Biodiversity in Latin America

Alejandro Litovsky

November 24, 2009

The Katoomba Group has launched the Mercados Ambientales, a platform that seeks to catalyze markets for ecosystem services in Latin America. Earlier this year, their flagship report: ‘Beyond Carbon: Biodiversity and Water Markets‘ provided a practical overview of the type of cases that can advance this new field in the region. The report argues, for example, that Brazil will have to look beyond carbon markets to include water and biodiversity market mechanisms if it is to guarantee a halt to deforestation in the Amazon.

Watch the space: The group is finalizing two reports: The ‘State of the Global Water Quality Marketplace”, which will quantify market transactions, with insight into both nutrient trading programs and voluntary schemes that operate outside of the regulatory framework; and “State of Biodiversity Markets”, both due in January 2010.