In the Americas, there are many initiatives related to the idea of compensating or paying for environmental services. These initiatives are strongly shaped by their national and local contexts and especially by the interests of the different stakeholders who engage in these processes. This interplay of interests gets expressed in the peculiarities of the initiatives and even in the concepts used. Here it is important to recognise the differences among contexts. Costa Rica stands out as the only country in the hemisphere with an institutionalised State-driven national system of payment for environmental services; Mexico, by the ample access to and control over natural resources by peasant and indigenous communities. In contrast, in Brazil access to and control over resources by peasant and indigenous communities is more uneven and restricted. El Salvador, with small natural areas, forces us to see beyond the forest to consider the role of agroecosystems and the importance of restoring degraded landscapes. The experience in the Delaware/Catskill watersheds of New York State highlights the importance of negotiation processes in defining compensation schemes that respond to local needs.