En Latinoamérica se observa un creciente desarrollo de iniciativas de PSA que aunque están orientadas bajo diferentes principios y criterios, son concurrentes en la reducción de externalidades mediante el reconocimiento social y económico de los servicios ambientales. El crecimiento de esquemas de PSA en cuencas para proveer servicios hidrológicos ha sido dinámico, especialmente en las regiones andinas y mesoamericanas donde el déficit hídrico se manifiesta más fuertemente.

In 2002, mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) was listed on Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). This requires that all producing countries define and implement sustainable production systems for mahogany, the most commercially important neotropical timber, which is still harvested from natural forests. The only serious efforts to produce mahogany sustainably from managed natural forests are those of communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico, which control 800,000 of natural production forests.

These guidelines form the basis for defining the initial set of activities to be classified as Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL). They have been adapted to and will be tested in the local conditions that occur in the lowland and hill dipterocarp forest of the Bulungan Model Forest project in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The principles and practices for forest harvesting in Indonesia (2000) have been developed to provide a uniform set of minimum standards for logging practices in the production and limited production forests in Indonesia. The provide the standard for WHAT is involved in planning and implementing logging activities in natural forest and WHY certain operations should be undertaken. The Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) guidelines for Indonesia provides the mechanism for HOW the standards will be applied in the field or "how to do the work".