Development

Human wellbeing depends on the capacity of the earth’s natural systems to provide ecosystem goods and services. However, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment chillingly concludes that unless we take action to mitigate the current decline in ecosystem services, the cost to society will be substantial. In this publication, IUCN defines three key challenges that will need to be addressed in the near future in order to deliver internationally-agreed development goals.

Human wellbeing depends on the capacity of the earth’s natural systems to provide ecosystem goods and services. However, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment chillingly concludes that unless we take action to mitigate the current decline in ecosystem services, the cost to society will be substantial. In this publication, IUCN defines three key challenges that will need to be addressed in the near future in order to deliver internationally-agreed development goals.

Despite endorsements of the concept of sustainable development and the linking of sustainable development with the Millennium Development Goals, progress towards the eradication of poverty has been disappointing. The underlying principles of sustainable development need to be more critically and actively applied to both poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation.

These studies investigate the role of protected areas in supporting local socio economic development in selected regions of each country. They are designed to assist policy-makers and planners by demonstrating that protected areas are productive economic assets and that there is a need for appropriately managing them in order to realize the greatest benefits for the community.

Thematic lesson papers are intended to bring global lessons and best practice to the region and to help define the agenda for detailed consultation and reform in the four lower Mekong River countries.

These lessons papers are the result of assessment and debate carried out through background papers and national round table meetings involving all key sectors and levels of government. They provided the basis for the more detailed work in each country by inter agency PAD core groups on the national reports.

The regional report deals with issues requiring collective action from all four countries in the Lower Mekong region and describes the status and trends in the region which set the basis for the PAD review.

The report analyses the relationships between the national protected area system and socio-economic development addressing important sectors one by one. It concludes by setting out strategies for each sector to optimise the benefits received from protected areas whilst maintaining and improving their integrity.

The report analyses the relationships between the national protected area system and socio-economic development addressing important sectors one by one. It concludes by setting out strategies for each sector to optimise the benefits received from protected areas whilst maintaining and improving their integrity.