Removing sediment from reservoirs is an important part of the costs of hydro-power generation. Farmers adapt and diversify land-use, based on PES scheme with hydro-power company in Sumberjaya.
Under the “Rewarding Upland Poor for Environmental Services” project (RUPES), an initiative by ICRAF, upstream farmers changed land-use practices for reducing soil erosion and sedimentation load in streams. The sedimentation rate was used as an indicator to measure the effectiveness of the agreed activities. Clarifying land tenure and diversifying land use were important success factors, improving both, environmental condition and local livelihoods.
The negotiation process, facilitated by RUPES, between upstream farmers, hydro-power company and the local government was very important for building trust among all parties and for identifying strategies to reduce sedimentation that all stakeholders would benefit from.
Monitoring sedimentation rate as an indicator for the positive impact of improving land-use practices made the success of the changes in land-use practices transparent and motivated all participants to contribute to the scheme.