Over the last 25 years a range of management ‘tools’, including zoning plans, permits, education, and more recently management plans, have been applied to regulate access and to control and mitigate impacts associated with human use of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park GBRMP.A multiple-use zoning approach provides high levels of protection for speci c areas whilst allowing reasonable uses, including certain shing activities, to continue in other zones. Zoning has long been regarded as a cornerstone of Marine Park management,

Conflicts associated with natural resources are twice as likely to relapse into conflict in the first five years, an imminent report suggests. Indeed the natural resource curse has been a primary determinant of intra-state conflict in terrible theatres of war such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. Yet it extends far beyond the battle to acquire precious commodities.

Water crisis is largely a problem of governance.

This information paper illustrates sustainable dryland management practises in communities vulnerable to climate change with case studies in India and the Sudan.In both cases the adaptation programme is presented, including infrastructural strategy and social involvement, followed by results of the programme, subsequent impact on the community and examples of further achievements and successes in local areas.

This new report from FAO and CIFOR challenges the conventional wisdom linking large-scale flooding to deforestation. The report acknowledges that forests can play a role in minimising runoff that causes localised flooding. But it concludes that there is no evidence that a loss of trees significantly contributes to severe widespread flooding. Even at the local level, the report notes, the flood-reducing effects of forests are heavily dependent on soil depth and structure, and saturation levels, not exclusively on the presence of the trees.

Approximately 85% of Malawi’s population live in rural areas and depend in some way on forests for their livelihoods. Recent government policies have highlighted how forest resources could do more to help reduce poverty through the development of small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs).

This U4 Issue discusses the corruption risks faced by mining companies in Guatemala, with a particular focus on the risks faced by small, “junior” mining companies primarily engaged in exploration.

Zimbabwe's water reforms that were undertaken in the 1990s were meant to redress the colonially inherited inequalities to agricultural water, increase water security against frequent droughts, improve water management, and realise sustainable financing of the water sector. They were underpinned by the 1998 Water and Zimbabwe National Water Authority Acts, which were based on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles. This article describes how IWRM has been implemented against a backdrop of an ever - ev olving land reform programme and a struggling agriculture sector.

Conflicting interests in land and resource use emerged in postwar Mozambique, giving rise to multiple layers of dispute. This article explores the disputes occurring between 1992 and 1995 in two districts which are notable for the severity of competition over land by virtue of their proximity to Maputo, namely, Matutuíne and Namaacha. Although private sector claims were beginning to be staked with the potential for displacing people occupying the same land, other conflicts still predominated.

Having enough water for food production is a key issue in many countries. As water becomes scarce and food requirements increase, there will be a need to produce more food using less water, to protect the quality of water and the environment, particularly in Africa. To achieve this, it will be necessary to improve women’s access rights to water.Research from
the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations looks at the
issues facing poor communities, and especially women, trying to ensure access