Resources utilization

The Weight of Cities calls for a new strategy for 21st century urbanization: resource efficiency and social inclusion must become the focus of urban development strategies if we want to stand a chance of achieving the 2030 Development Agenda as well as the New Urban Agenda.

After a short introduction of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), the present presentation develops the application of the ecosystem approach by the military sector, in particular in relation to peace-support operations and reconstruction programmes. It describes a simple model of 4 steps. The first step deals with the physical system (“the ecosystem”), the second step with the use of the ecosystem and the third step with its management (institutions and regulations).

This report aimed at understanding resource use and dependence, perception of marine conservation policies, and adaptive capacities of communities of North Ari atoll, Maldives. It provides information on the social resilience of 8 local community islands in North Ari atoll, and identifies differences in gender role, in resource use and perception of enironmental issues. This study is key in understanding the value of ecosystem services in one atoll in the Maldives.

The interdisciplinary situation analysis (ISA) presented in this document is the first of its kind and pilots various analyses of secondary data that may be drawn upon to inform the second phase of the landscape assessment, which involves primary data collection. This is the first analysis of its kind and has been performed with PiN methodological development in mind, thus its format will likely see changes as progress is made on different PiN pilot site studies.

This publication is an excerpt of the report, "Decoupling natural resource use and environmental impacts from economic growth : a report of the working group on decoupling to the International Resource Panel".

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.