Payment for ecosystem services: the economy that will save natural environments?

Since the dawn of civilization, it has been understood what natural resources were and their importance for the survival and development of humanity. The environmental history, until payment for ecosystem services, was marked by conservationist and preservationist thoughts that took different directions regarding the "value of nature" and "payment for nature's services" but that consented to maintaining biodiversity. In the 20th century, after the publication of the first works on the categorization and valuation of ecosystem services, a certain consensus began to emerge regarding the commercialization of these services. Subsequently, several payment markets for ecosystem services emerged, such as the carbon market, which in 2021 reached the level of 2 billion dollars in transactions. Studies assessing the growth of the carbon market may provide relevant information for implementing payment projects for carbon credits, encouraging the maintenance of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change.