IUCN, Asia Regional Office (ARO)

This publication draws on lessons learned from Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea in forest management, community development, indigenous knowledge and access to resources and social networks within the broad framework of the sustainable livelihoods approach. The contents reveal how building workable partnerships among a diversity of stakeholders is fundamental to sustainable development.

Protected areas have proven themselves to be an effective tool for the conservation of biodiversity in situ. However, conserving biodiversity, even in protected areas, is a challenging assignment for most countries around the world where governments and local communities are often in competition for access to and use of resources. On top of these challenges, the world is facing changes in climate and sea level, increasing numbers of invasive species, and fragmentation of forests.

Access to justice in environmental law is a worldwide movement dedicated to assisting members of rural communities to achieve redress for environmental harms.This publication contains a review of the rural environmental justice movement in India and Nepal, illustrated with case studies.

How are decisions about water resources development made? This question is prompted by the continuing global interest in the final report from the World Commission on Dams (WCD), released in 2000, which offered seven strategic priorities as a framework to aid decision-making about large dams and other types of water resources development.

Wild plant species are used for medicine in most countries of the world. A recent survey conducted by members of the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission suggests that 72,000 species of higher plants are used medicinally worldwide, approximately 17% of the world’s higher plant flora.