Abstract Endangered species laws seek to prevent extinction by outlawing actions that may cause harm or lead to extinction. In doing so, these laws are sometimes criticized for limiting management flexibility and subjecting landowners to regulatory burdens. One proposed solution to this challenge is development of payment for ecosystem service (PES) programs. These programs provide an economic incentive to conserve endangered species by compensating landowners for the costs of conservation or forgoing other profitable uses of land and resources. To assess the utility of PES as a means of overcoming opposition to endangered species regulations, we surveyed ranch operators in Arizona and New Mexico facing new regulations related to endangered jaguars (Panthera onca). Our findings suggest that PES cannot overcome the perceived burdens of species protection regulations and are unlikely to increase collaboration between landowners and government agencies. PES approaches are only likely to succeed where there is strong fit between institutional design and resource manager preferences. In the context of endangered species, PES proponents must pay particular attention to institutional arrangements that reduce concerns about regulatory risk. To this end, to effectively meet endangered species conservation goals, we recommend: 1) framing PES programs as voluntary conservation incentives, 2) focusing incentives on healthy ecosystems rather than a single species, and 3) using private funding to support incentives. Under these circumstances, PES may be an effective endangered species conservation tool.

中文翻译：

---

利用生态系统服务付费保护濒危物种的机会和障碍

摘要 濒危物种法试图通过禁止可能造成伤害或导致灭绝的行为来防止灭绝。在这样做时，这些法律有时因限制管理灵活性和使土地所有者承受监管负担而受到批评。针对这一挑战提出的一个解决方案是开发生态系统服务付费 (PES) 计划。这些计划通过补偿土地所有者的保护成本或放弃其他有利可图的土地和资源用途，为保护濒危物种提供了经济激励。为了评估 PES 作为克服对濒危物种法规的反对的一种手段的效用，我们调查了亚利桑那州和新墨西哥州面临与濒危美洲虎 (Panthera onca) 相关的新法规的牧场经营者。我们的研究结果表明，PES 无法克服物种保护法规带来的负担，也不太可能增加土地所有者和政府机构之间的合作。PES 方法只有在制度设计和资源管理者偏好之间存在强烈契合的情况下才有可能成功。在濒危物种的背景下，PES 支持者必须特别注意减少对监管风险的担忧的制度安排。为此，为了有效实现濒危物种保护目标，我们建议：1) 将 PES 计划制定为自愿保护激励措施，2) 将激励措施的重点放在健康的生态系统而不是单一物种上，以及 3) 使用私人资金来支持激励措施。在这种情况下，PES 可能是一种有效的濒危物种保护工具。