Sustainable development

This volume is a companion to The Law of Energy for Sustainable Development. Here the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law assembles for the first time a volume of legal instruments which can be recognized as constituting the core of the law of energy for sustainable development. This volume will be an essential reference for all those involved in environmental and energy research.

The research focus for the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law in 2003 was a timely and challenging one, entitled 'The Law of Energy for Sustainable Development'. As contemporary world politics demonstrates, energy resources and generation are crucial issues facing the international community. As research on energy law, at the international, regional, and national level is in its infancy, the insights provided by the contributors to this volume are a significant addition to the field.

Recent innovations in Sustainable Forest Management and Ecosystem Approaches are resulting in forests increasingly being managed as part of the broader social-ecological systems in which they exist. Forests in Landscapes reviews changes that have occurred in forest management in recent decades. Case studies from Europe, Canada, the United States, Russia, Australia, the Congo and Central America provide a wealth of international examples of innovative practices.

Presents a guide to assist educators who are wrestling with educating for sustainability, by reflecting on the theory and practice of how to engage people in sustainable development and a framework of good practice (theory). It is intended to inspire actions for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14) by illustrating innovation and practice in education with case studies, examples and interviews.

Equitable distribution of the costs and benefits associated with conservation is a key issue in natural resource management. Addressing the underlying social, economic and cultural factors shaping social differentiation within and among communities will help reverse social inequities and will also promote more sustainable conservation.

Mountain areas cover 24% of the Earth's land and 26% of the global population lives in or around these areas. At the global scale, perhaps their greatest value is as 'water towers', providing water for over half of humankind. As global centres of biological and cultural diversity, they are among the world's major tourist destinations.

The Draft Covenant is a blueprint for an international framework (or umbrella) agreement consolidating and developing existing legal principles related to environment and development. Since the publication of the second edition in 2000, there have been important developments in the field of international environmental law.