Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are a leading conservation finance tool to encourage land-users to deliver ecosystem services in exchange for financial incentives (Blundo-Canto et al., 2018; Kaiser et al., 2021; Salzman et al., 2018; Schomers and Matzdorf, 2013). They have generated considerable interest over the past two decades, following the publication of the UN’s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005). Yet, there has been a dearth of analysis that reveals the outcomes and evolution of the PES research body itself, with most studies having a very specific or limited focus on ...