Certification of forest watershed services: A Q methodology analysis of opportunities and challenges in Lombok, Indonesia

This study examines opportunities and challenges of applying certification of forest watershed services to a payment for watershed services (PWS) scheme. The certification has potential to mitigate the problem of incomplete information in a PWS scheme, but necessary enabling conditions remain untested, including stakeholder support. To examine stakeholder perspectives, Q methodology was conducted with intermediaries, buyers, and sellers of a PWS scheme in West Lombok, Indonesia. Stakeholders revealed interest in using certification as a capacity-building tool, towards which they indicated a willingness to bear associated costs. However, their preferences indicated confusion about the meaning of certification and skepticism as to its transparency, as well as a need for as-of-yet unavailable simple but scientific standards. The study contributes to analyzing the feasibility of certification as a tool for disclosure of information.