Links

Bottled Water: Pouring resources down the drain

Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand for bottled water is increasing-producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy. Although in the industrial world bottled water is often no healthier than tap water, it can cost up to 10,000 times more. At as much as $2.50 per liter ($10 per gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline. The United Nations Millennium Development Goal for environmental sustainability calls for halving the proportion of people lacking sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015. Meeting this goal would require doubling the $15 billion a year that the world currently spends on water supply and sanitation. While this amount may seem large, it pales in comparison to the estimated $100 billion spent each year on bottled water. This article makes the case against buying bottled water. (Emily Arnold, Earth Action, 2 February 2006)

http://earthaction.org/en/water.html

(Added: Fri Jan 12 2007   Hits: 379)

Communities, livelihoods and natural resources: action research and policy change in Asia

This book synthesizes results from a 7-year program of applied research on community-based approaches to natural resource management in Asia. The 11 case studies featured illustrate how local innovations in participatory natural resource management can strengthen livelihoods, build capacity for local governance, and spark policy change. The lessons are derived from the application of a participatory action research framework that engaged resource users, local governments, and researchers in collaborative learning. They illustrate practical innovations to strengthen livelihoods through improved collective resource management practices and broader technology choices. (Stephen R. Tyler, IDRC, 2006)

http://www.idrc.org.sg/en/ev-97782-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

(Added: Thu Nov 16 2006   Modified: Thu Dec 14 2006   Hits: 296)

Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Social Science Resource Kit

This kit is a reference tool to assist researchers funded through IDRC's Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) program in Asia to apply concepts, analytical approaches and research methods from the social sciences in their research. The resource books contain selected readings excerpted from books, academic journals, field reports and training manuals. Depending on the subject, the readings include conceptual and methodological issues, research tools, and illustrative case studies. Each source book also includes an annotated bibliography, a list of references, and information on electronic (internet) resources. The topics/issue areas covered in the Resource Kit include: Gender; Community-Based Natural Resource Management; Participatory Research; Indigenous Knowledge; Institutional Analysis; Common Property; Stakeholder Analysis; Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation; and Resource Tenure.

http://www.idrc.ca/fr/ev-6530-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

(Added: Mon Jan 29 2001   Modified: Tue Sep 26 2006   Hits: 596)

Community-based natural resource management manual (pdf)

This Manual gives an introduction to community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Southern African Countries. Since CBNRM is based on the principle that land and natural resources should be managed by those people who live with and depend on them, aspects covered in this manual can be used by any community. Each of the seven chapters of this Manual addresses a different aspect of CBNRM. It seeks to provide a good understanding of the social, economic, and ecological factors that affect the management of natural resources by communities in the Southern African region. ( Bond,A. Davis, C. Nott, K. Nott and G. Stuart-Hill, WWF, 21 Sep 2006)

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/cbnrm_manual.pdf

(Added: Mon Sep 25 2006   Modified: Tue Sep 26 2006   Hits: 102)

Dangerous Liaisons (PDF 531 Kb)

Global Witness, December 2004. The continued relationship between Liberia's natural resource industries, arms trafficking and regional insecurity. A briefing document submitted by Global Witness to the UN Security Council.

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security//////////////////////issues/liberia/2004/1208dliaisons.pdf

(Added: Mon Feb 21 2005   Modified: Thu Feb 08 2007   Hits: 162)

Global Responses to Global Threats: Sustainable Security for the 21st Century [pdf]

Since the events of September 11, 2001 and the development of the 'war on terror', western powers have cited international terrorism as the greatest threat facing the world. This has diverted attention and resources from other, more serious, likely causes of future conflict. The root causes of global insecurity must be addressed (Chris Abbott, Paul Rogers and John Sloboda, 2006)

http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/briefing_papers/pdf/globalthreats.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 8)

Green Map

Green Map System energizes a diverse global movement of local mapmaking teams charting their community's natural, cultural and green living resources with our award-winning universal icons and adaptable multi-lingual resources. Includes maps of Hamilton and Wellington.

http://www.greenmap.org

(Added: Tue Jan 15 2008   Modified: Thu Jan 24 2008   Hits: 187)

Legal empowerment for local resource control: Securing local resource rights within foreign investment projects in Africa (pdf)

This report draws lessons from experience of using legal processes to secure local resource rights within the context of foreign investment projects in Africa. Security of local resource rights is a major challenge in many parts of Africa. (Lorenzo Cotula, IIED, 2007)

http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/12542IIED.pdf

(Added: Tue Mar 04 2008   Hits: 25)

NARSIS (Natural Resources Information System)

The Rural Livelihoods Department (RLD) on behalf of Rural Livelihoods and Environment Division (RLED) maintains an online projects database, NARSIS (Natural Resources Information System), containing project data on all DFID-funded projects with any Natural Resources (NR) and Environment (green and brown) component. The database was originally set up in 1990 to track projects within RLED's Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy. From this beginning it has been expanded to provide detailed information on DFID's NR and Environment projects irrespective of funding source, including: Bilateral Country Programmes, RLD and Engineering Research, ESCOR, Joint Funding Scheme (JFS) and Challenge Funds. It also includes cross-sectoral projects which adopt sustainable livelihoods principles.

http://www.ids.ac.uk/blds/index.html

(Added: Tue Nov 04 2003   Modified: Wed Jan 17 2007   Hits: 325)

Natural Resource Abundance and Economic Growth Revisited (PDF)

By Jean-Philippe C. Stijns, University of California at Berkeley, (2001). Data on energy and mineral reserves suggest that natural resource abundance has not been a significant structural determinant of economic growth between 1970 and 1989. The story behind the effect of natural resources on economic growth is a complex one that typical growth regressions do not capture well. Preliminary evidence suggests that natural resources may affect economic growth through both "positive" and "negative channels." Potential reverse causality running from these "channels" to fuel and mineral reserves further complicates the analysis. I conjecture that, as economic historians suggest, the ability of a country to exploit its resource base depends critically on the nature of the learning process involved (abstract).

http://are.berkeley.edu/courses/envres_seminar/f2000/stijns.pdf

(Added: Wed Apr 23 2003   Modified: Mon Feb 12 2007   Hits: 202)

Pacific Islands Extremely Vulnerable to Oil Price Fluctuations: UNDP Report

A report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), "Overcoming Vulnerability to Rising Oil Prices: Options for Asia and the Pacific", shows that poor people are being pushed further into poverty as a result of soaring oil prices. It highlights the vulnerability of Pacific Island Countries, and shows that high oil prices will disproportionately affect the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). (14 November)

http://regionalcentrepacific.undp.org.fj/Files/Publications/UNDP_Oil_prices_Book.pdf

(Added: Thu Nov 15 2007   Hits: 127)

Payments for Environmental Services - An equitable approach for reducing poverty and conserving nature

The concept of payments for environmental services (PES) is now widely considered a a way of creating incentive for managing natural resources, addressing livelihood issues, and also providing sustainable financing for protected areas. This 20-page report gives an overview of current PES schemes and players, its approach to equitable PES and field examples from Guatemala, Peru, The Philippines, Tanzania, Indonesia, and Eastern Europe. (WWF,June 2006)

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/pes_report_2006.pdf

(Added: Sun Aug 13 2006   Modified: Mon Aug 14 2006   Hits: 98)

People, Land and Water: Participatory Development Communication for Natural Resource Managemen

The book describes the major issues involved in applying participatory development communication to natural resource management practices and research, discusses the challenges and the difficulties linked to such an approach, and offers insights and lessons from research and experience in Asia and Africa. (Guy Bessette, Earthscan/IDRC 2006)

http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-98617-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

(Added: Thu Oct 26 2006   Hits: 117)

Perspectives on access to and management of natural resources [pdf]

In understanding inequality in access to natural resources the working paper discusses theories of access and entitlement, different conceptual approaches to institutions, and new global changes and political ecology. Three management approaches are examined: community-based natural resource management, decentralization and right-based frameworks. The strength and the weaknesses of the various approaches are highlighted, and it is argued that there is a need to better combine management and the more conceptual approaches to natural resources (Julie Koch,DIIS Working Paper , 2008).

http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/WP2008/WP08-8_Perspectives_on_Access_to_and_Management%20of%20Natural%20Resource.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 29)

Same Old Story

Global Witness, June 2004. A background study on natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This report marks the beginning of an extensive project that will examine natural resource governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_get.php/193/Same%20Old%20Story%20Global%20Witness%20DRC%20Report%20release%20date%206%20July%202004.pdf

(Added: Thu Aug 26 2004   Modified: Thu Feb 08 2007   Hits: 160)

The CMATS Treaty

Earlier this year, the governments of Australia and Timor-Leste signed a treaty to explore and exploit oil and gas fields of the Timor Sea outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA). The Treaty on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (CMATS Treaty), often referred to in Timor-Leste as the "Sunrise Agreement," allocates oil and gas revenues from formerly disputed areas, but delays deciding which country's territory includes which areas of the sea and seabed. This enables international companies to proceed with petroleum projects, and will provide additional revenue to both countries, but does not resolve the essential question of maritime boundaries.

http://www.laohamutuk.org/Bulletin/2006/Apr/bulletinv7n1.html#CMATS

(Added: Tue Feb 13 2007   Hits: 78)