Case studies

This publication is the proceedings for a satellite event on Biodiversity and the Ecosystem Approach in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, held on the occasion of the Ninth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in FAO, Rome, 12-13 October 2002. An informal presentation of the Satellite Event’s discussions and results was given on 16 October 2002. About 100 participants attended the day and a half event.

In this innovative volume, the author addresses some important challenges related to the effective and equitable governance of marine protected areas (MPAs). These challenges are explored through a study of 20 MPA case studies from around the world.  A key theme is that MPA governance needs to combine people, state and market approaches, rather than being based on one approach and its related ideals.

While Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have bountiful supplies of renewable resources and an island culture that is iconic of paradise, the challenges ahead are daunting. While the future cannot be predicted, the development of plausible futures built on combinations of realistic outlooks can offer a basis for policy choices. This report shows that there is much that SIDS can do proactively to anticipate environmental problems and their economic consequences or even avoid

Across the globe, women are heavily involved in the environmental sector, including in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and in adapting to and mitigating climate change. However, women's participation and representation in decision-making processes that pertain to their and their families' environmental well-being are often restricted.

In the effort towards sustainability, it has become increasingly important to develop conceptual frames to understand the dynamics of social and ecological systems. Drawing on complex systems theory, this book investigates how human societies deal with change in linked social-ecological systems, and build capacity to adapt to change. The concept of resilience is central in this context.

A companion volume to Keeping the Wild: Against the Domestication of Earth, Protecting the Wild provides a necessary addition to the conversation about the future of conservation in the so-called Anthropocene. Even as the biodiversity crisis accelerates, a growing number of voices are suggesting that protected areas are passé. Protecting the Wild offers a spirited argument for the robust protection of the natural world.

This short independent study focuses on the relationship between the extractive industries and natural World Heritage properties. It was commissioned through IUCN in conjunction with the World Heritage Centre, as well as the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and Shell; the latter two funded the exercise.

The recent increase in exposure to natural hazards among the communities of Bangladesh is linked to the new generation of threats posed by climate variability and change resulting from anthropogenic activity. Adaptation is not a new approach, but there are still a number of challenges inherent in adaptation and in building resilience to climate-induced threats.