Working paper synthesizing first results of the user-friendly inventory of IM in Europe (T1.1-1.3) for conducting knowledge-sharing activities (T2.4)

The deliverable synthesizes the rationale, the methodology and the preliminary results of the inventory of IM in Europe carried out within SINCERE T1.1-1.3 (WP1). After having introduced the meaning and relevance of Forest Ecosystem Services, it explores the most important policy tools applied in environmental conservation. It then attempts at providing working definitions for “mechanism” and “innovation”, with the intention of guiding the discussion, further developing the concept and achieving a final shared definition of IMs. The deliverable also introduces the proposed framework for systematizing information on IM and presents some preliminary results based on the analysis of the 122 cases of European Innovative Mechanisms identified so far. The conclusive section summarizes the emerging knowledge on the design of IM worldwide by comparing theory with the main patterns of de facto design and implementation of mechanisms.