Obstacles to local payments for ecosystem services schemes for water management at the catchment scale: a case study from Eastern Scotland

Water catchment management negotiates a complex landscape of local and expert knowledge, cultural and historical norms, property rights, and the pressures of environmental change. Various schemes have developed in recent years that aim to provide an integrated, consultative approach to environmental management, among which payment for ecosystem services (PES) has emerged as a successful example. Yet, there are certain characteristics of catchment landscapes that problematise the implementation of PES schemes for water management. This paper explores these characteristics in a case study of the Lunan water catchment area in Angus, Scotland. We report on a scientific research project to develop and implement a tilting weir system in the catchment that aims to address wetland nutrient and sediment pollution, winter flooding in the upper catchment, and summer water shortages in the lower catchment. Socio-scientific methods investigate the potential use of a PES approach to support the local management of the tilting weir system for the provision of multiple benefits at the catchment scale. Research shows evidence of conflicting levels of support between farmers and residents for both the intervention itself and the PES approach, diverse perceptions of rights and responsibilities in relation to water, and the challenges of identifying an adequate PES intermediary in the current institutional framework.