This study investigates the relationship between rural poverty, property rights, and environmental resource management in a semi-arid region of Kenya using survey data. It asserts that reduced environmental degradation will increase agricultural productivity, which translates into lower levels of poverty as incomes and consumption expenditures rise; and that the quality of the environment and thus productivity and poverty are unaffected by property right regimes.

(Paper Prepared for the Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics Research Workshop, Durban, South Africa, May 28-30 2002.)

Read the paper

Rural households rely heavily on goods and services freely provided by environmental resources. However, there have been very few adequate quantitative analyses due to a lack of appropriate household data sets encompassing economic and environmental data. Standard household budget surveys(HBSs)inevitably lack data on environmental income. We use a 213 household data set from rural Zimbabwe to undertake a quantitative analysis of the impact of environmental income on household welfare.
Environmental income, in this case largely from woodland-based resources, is strongly and significantly equalising, bringing about roughly a 30 percent reduction in inequality (as measured in standard HBSs).
However, including the value of environmental income leaves analysis of the causes of poverty and rural differentiation unchanged from those done with the standard data. While environmental income is important in mitigating poverty, it is unlikely to be important in lifting people out of poverty.

Read More

CIFOR

This paper takes stock of developments in Asian and Pacific countries as they prepare to take advantage of emerging financial incentives for forest conservation created through the "REDD+" (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, as well as through sustainable management of forests and forest carbon stocks conservation and enhancement, in developing countries) approach for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and other actions that conserve and enhance forest carbon stocks. The paper contributes to the active dialogue on how best to organize for good knowledge management and coordination in Asia and the Pacific for implementing the REDD+ approach.

Countries of the region, and especially those of Southeast Asia, have the potential to significantly contribute to mitigating global climate change through forest conservation with incentives provided through REDD+ payments. Current REDD+ arrangements and actions in the region are reviewed along with the extent to which existing multilateral and bilateral REDD+ support mechanisms are allocating their time and resources to support countries of the region. Asian and Pacific countries are receiving considerable support, and coordination is improving as all try to use the new REDD+ incentives to address the major drivers of deforestation in the region.

Read more
ADB

Close to being a seemingly hopeless economic venture, mining- with its immense wealth- continues to sap the vitality of resilient people and capacity of the economy. The recent ‘alleged’ cyanide spillage by Newmont in Subri River is not surprising at all when the highly-rated mining company happens to be the 2009 award winners of the most irresponsible company in the world.

Read more
http://news.myjoyonline.com

ASEAN officials met on 19 January 2011 to discuss the integration of socioeconomic aspects in sustainable forest management, as part of the implementation of the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change.

Read more
http://www.aseansec.org

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Yemen Office, organized a workshop, last week, under the patronage of his Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Mr. Abdul Alkarim Al-Arhabi, titled, “Sharing Knowledge and Best Practices Stories on Rural Poverty Reduction in Yemen”.

Read more
http://www.yobserver.com

This year has been designated the International Year for Forests by the United Nations. However, the current state of environment in Uganda is extremely poor given the environment and natural resources degradation which has not left any wetland in Kampala to sieve all the waste and the surface run-off from our cemented impermeable streets.

Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kamaruzaman Ampon said social problems are the cause of most environmental problems in the State and elsewhere. He said inequality of access to natural resources drives the poor to desperation. In this instance, he said that natural resources provide them with a safety net.

Read more

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my

Over 75% of the Tanzania’s population resides in rural areas where people rely upon agriculture and other natural resource uses. Consequently, the link between rural livelihoods and natural resource management is of fundamental importance to effective poverty reduction strategies. Although a number of national policies and strategies recognize this link, natural resource use and conservation issues have not been effectively incorporated into documents such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy. In practice, land and natural resource management remains centralized and essential local economic opportunities are foreclosed or restricted.
This paper explores both these policy issues in brief as well as practically exploring rural development, poverty reduction, and natural resource management issues in northern Tanzanian rangelands.

Read more
Tanzania Natural Resource Forum

The study has been commissioned by the India GTZ Natural Resource Management Sector in close cooperation with the responsible staff of Natural Resource Management Sector KfW, India. It focuses, among others, on the programmes of NABARD as the major FC/TC partner in the future. It assesses poverty outcomes and impacts and how equity issues are addressed within three Indo-German development projects in the field of Natural Resource Management.

Read more
OECD