Community Partnerships for Ecosystem Services Provision

This chapter examines community partnerships as governance arrange- ments that support the provision of one or more ESS and help to strengthen rural- urban linkages. The chapter discusses different community-based governance models for the provisioning of ecosystem services and uses principles of collabora- tion, participation and partnership as a starting point for identifying existing or potential governance structures within and across urban and rural localities. It reviews six case-studies in different geographical contexts that were selected for their aimed valorisation and management of environmental resources that enhance ESS. The analysis of the six cases identify different dimensions such as the who, the how and the what to improve understanding of the governance mechanisms and arrangements adopted by the different communities partnerships.