Case studies

This report provides a solid foundation for the concept of decoupling, clearly defining key terms and providing empirical evidence of escalating resource use. It shows that decoupling is already taking place to some extent, but is lagging far behind its potential. The scenarios show that we are facing a historic choice about how we use resources and the report scopes the potential of innovation, rethinking economic growth and the role of cities in building more resource efficient economies.

Over the past few years, agribusiness, investment funds and government agencies have been acquiring long-term rights over large areas of land in Africa. Together with applicable national and international law, contracts define the terms of an investment project, and the way risks, costs and benefits are distributed. Who has the authority to sign the contract and through what process greatly influences the extent to which people can have their voices heard.

This study sheds light on how least developed countries (LDCs) can maximize pro-poor gains from tourism. It analyses LDCs’ tourism development aspirations as set out in the Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) that were completed under the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries (IF).

In recent decades "participatory" approaches to forest management have been introduced around the world. This book assesses their implementation in the highly politicized environments of India and Nepal. The authors critically examine the policy, implementation processes and casual factors affecting livelihood impacts.

This book, written by the world's foremost experts, examines key issues, including law and enforcement, supply and demand, corruption, forest certification, poverty, local livelihoods, international trade and biodiversity conservation. It includes key case studies from forest-rich hotspots in North, South and Central America, equatorial Africa and Indonesia.

Scientists used a network of interdisciplinary studies to investigate the ecological effects of marine managed areas (MMAs) dispersed widely across the tropics. The results indicate that rigorously enforced MMAs can be an effective management tool to reduce overuse of natural resources and conflicts among different uses of the ocean. In addition, MMAs can provide important data for adaptive management of marine resources.

This handbook constitutes one of the battles being fought by civil society organisations to promote and protect the rights of communities living adjacent to mining areas against the operations of extractive industries, the state and other individuals who violate their Environmental, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (EESCR).

Capacity development and environmental sustainability are both central to UNDP's mandate and programming. The purpose of this Practitioner's Guide is to provide practical guidance to UNDP staff, partner countries and other development partners on the nature of environmental capacity and how to support capacity development for environmental sustainability (CDES ).