The objectives of this study are to analyze and synthesize the experience of the World Bank and other agencies in dryland management, with special emphasis on Africa.Recommendations are provided on "good policies and practices" in drylands management, which can support actions to fulfil obligations arising from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) for member countries and for international organizations, such as the World Bank.

Research project using participatory methods to improve the effectiveness of indigenous and modern soil and water conservation practices through a process of joint experimentation involving farmers, researchers, extension and NGO staff. Countries covered are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

Avoided deforestation (AD) has become a global concern with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This paper discusses financial incentive schemes to reduce rates of deforestation and forest degradation in tropical countries may be established and considers some of the issues from the perspective of host countries and the forest-dependent poor.

The IUCN protected area management categories are a global framework, recognised by the Convention on Biological Diversity, for categorising the variety of protected area management types. The following guidelines provide direction, descriptions, principles and advice in the application of the IUCN protected area management categories in particular biomes and management approaches.The document is broken into different sections focusing on key discussions on IUCN protected area management, which are included below.

This report investigates how Dutch public money is being used to support oil production in developing countries through Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) such as the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and other International Financial Institutions (IFIs). It notes that the Dutch government contributes to MDBs in two ways: through financial contributions using public money and by voting on the boards of the banks.Three case studies demonstrate that recent oil projects financed by the Dutch government and MDBs are failing the poor.

Natural sand from estuary and coastal land is one of South Africa’s most valuable resources. However, there has recently been a drastic increase in uncontrolled and unauthorised sand mining activities in rivers, valleys and estuaries throughout the country. The frameworks governing small-scale sand mining in South Africa lack the necessary financial and human resource capacities to support better environmental compliance, and the enforcement mechanisms to successfully deter illegal activities are weak.

Following from the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture project, this book examines the relationships and linkages between land use and water management and social systems. Given that agriculture is the largest economic sector in many developing countries, this volume provides innovative ideas for the prevention of land degradation and for improving the sustainability of food production in the developing world.

Can the twin developmental goals of administrative decentralisation and improving services for the urban poor be meshed? How can urban authorities and local politicians learn to listen to service users, particularly women? What services should be run by municipalities and what could be managed by neighbourhood or private management?

Environmental,  social  and  governance  (ESG)  concerns  are  an  increasingly  important  factor worldwide for banks when they invest in large projects. In the Southern African region with its rich mineral deposits, this trend has added importance. Mining companies extract minerals from the ground, and their activities routinely give rise to public concerns about the pollution of water sources, adequate land for agriculture, and fair community participation in mining projects.

This paper presents the results and analysis of a study conducted in Lijiang of Yunnan Province, China in 2013.

The focus of the study was on the major changes in local people’s socioeconomic situation and the natural, economic, or social problems and shocks that each household faced, as well as their impact on livelihoods and water management issues. The study consisted of household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and stakeholder workshops.

This article explains the historical development of the water regime in Indonesia and analyses the position of water rights and human rights to water under Indonesian Constitution.

Focusing on the case of Virunga National Park (PNVi) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this paper looks at Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the impact of ongoing conflict. It also discusses opportunities for elevating environment-conflict issues to international policy levels to help save important ecosystems in times of conflict. It is explained that for the past two decades, the park and the surrounding area in North Kivu province have experienced near-constant violent conflict.