Policies
Livelihoods, Forests, and Conservation in Developing Countries: An OverviewBACKGROUND:Poverty is a huge challenge, with 2.8 billion of the world’s 6 billion people living on less than $2 a day. The paper highlights the alarming extent of poverty in developing countries and addresses the rapid deforestation, which compromises ecological integrity and exacerbates social inequities. The authors focus on exploring whether poverty alleviation and forest conservation can be aligned as complementary rather than conflicting objectives. Available with subscription or purchase |
Rural Women, Poverty and Natural Resources: Sustenance, Sustainability and Struggle for ChangeBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Environmental Rights are a Human Right to a Healthy Environment: A Brief ReviewBACKGROUND:Environmental rights constitute a legal field dedicated to protecting and preserving the environment. This area of law governs the interactions between humans and nature through a comprehensive set of regulations. The paper delves into the intrinsic link between environmental protection and human rights, highlighting the evolution and significance of environmental rights within legal frameworks. It particularly focuses on developments in the Americas and explores how environmental rights have been increasingly integrated into broader human rights agendas. Open access copy available |
Gender equality, food security and the sustainable development goalsBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Women, income and poverty: Gendered access to resources in Post-Apartheid South AfricaBackgroundThis article analyzes gendered income poverty trends in post-apartheid South Africa, focusing on the complex societal shifts that emerged during the transition from apartheid. The authors highlight how these changes have affected women’s access to resources—improving it through increased employment opportunities and hindering it due to challenges like the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Available with subscription or purchase |
Beyond Tenure: Rights-based Approaches to Peoples and ForestsBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Carbon sequestration in Africa: The land tenure problemBackgroundResearch on afforestation and reforestation projects highlights how tropical forests can store carbon on a large scale. Africa offers vast areas of suitable land for carbon sequestration through these initiatives. However, the author argues that land tenure issues in Africa create an obstacle to achieving this potential. Open access copy available |
The global status and trends of Payments for Ecosystem ServicesBackgroundPayments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have expanded significantly in recent decades. These schemes aim to internalize the positive externalities that natural systems generate. PES creates incentives for landholders to adopt behaviors that sustain ecosystem service provision and, in some cases, generates additional revenue streams for conservation. However, it captures only a small fraction of the total value that natural systems provide. Researchers face challenges in collecting comprehensive and reliable data on PES due to its relatively recent emergence and the diversity of practices across different geographic scales. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Effectiveness of Payments for Environmental ServicesBackgroundThe academic debate on how effectively Payments for Environmental Services (PES) achieve environmental and socioeconomic goals continues to grow. Researchers initially focused on defining the concept and documenting early field experiences. Over time, they shifted their attention to designing effective incentives, analyzing behavioral responses, conducting systematic reviews, and applying counterfactual-based impact evaluations to assess outcomes more rigorously. Available with subscription or purchase |
Committed to restoring tropical forests: an overview of Brazil's and Indonesia's restoration targets and policiesBackgroundOpen access copy available |
