Pago por servicios ambientales en el sector del agua: El Fondo para la Protección de Agua

Payment for hydrologic environmental services is an economic tool which results opportune, of great usefulness and validity to face the every time more nagging lack of financial resources for natural resources conservation, maintenance and sustainability. To put a value to the environmental services provided by the ecosystems is an opportunity for a sustainable financial management of those. This can guarantee a future source of income, to help to maintain these natural resources, considered as well as natural assets. Examples of successful payment for environmental services initiatives in Ecuador can be found on government projects, this is the case of the Water Conservancy Found (Fonag, Spanish acronym). This is a financial mechanism that co-finances activities of environmental conservation in the water recharge zones, from where the city of Quito is being supplied. Looking for mechanisms or creative economic tools for nature conservation has become a challenge. This challenge is not only for the economists worried about environmental issues, but also for the entire society, which sees the conservation of the earth's natural capital as a clear strategy to achieve sustainable development.