Green water describes precipitation that infiltrates into the unsaturated soil layer and returns to the atmosphere via plant transpiration and soil evaporation, which are two functions of the hydrological cycle. Green water provides the basis for timber growth, crop production, and ecosystem services. However, it has not been adequately accounted for in traditional payments for water-related ecosystem services (PWES), which pre-dominantly consider on blue water and hence underestimate the availability of all water resources. In this study, a new framework of payments for green water-related ec...
