Payments for Environmental Services in Tourism: Cash for Improvement and Conservation of the Assets

Abstract

After the start of 2020 Vision and other development projects in Morocco, tourism has been highlighted with a certain solemnity. It is seen since then, as one of the stilts of economic resources and the driving force behind development. Indeed, the sector has renewed its managerial strategies by defining very ambitious objectives which allow the consolidation of different types of tourism, in particular sustainable, rural and nature tourism. These new types of tourism has been taken in consideration after the new spans the world has experienced, in particular, the enhancement of cultural heritage, protection of the natural heritage and the environment, the new rural destinations, etc. From the idea of breaking down the barriers between these different considerations; wanting to participate in tourism’s management of our country and catching attention to new natural and touristic places. We got carried away by the idea of having it all under one roof, what leaded us to Payments for Environmental Services (PES). Our project is the definition of a PES fund allowing the preservation, safeguard and enhancement of natural/touristic sites, it will emerge in Tafraout/Ameln. A region belonging to the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve (ABR), which offers exceptional geographic, socio-cultural resources as well as natural potential, allowing it to become a destination for sustainable tourism and ecotourism.
The establishment of a PES concept in this region will take the form of funding a preservation and safeguard system, which will aim to: consolidate the management efforts deployed in environment, nature and tourism by the stakeholders; allocate the necessary financial needs to management costs and fill the funding shortfalls of the State for the benefit of the enhancement, structuring and preservation of natural touristic sites.
However, this project raises a variety of questions related to the determination of the stakeholders and their mission, the definition of the environmental service the region needs, its cost and its beneficiary, etc. How much will this funding be? For which safeguard approach? Who will be the beneficiary? Will this new managerial method be efficient? And so many other enigmas and fogginess will be solved through this article.