This policy paper sets out the relevance of social and environmental standards for small-scale timber growers. It focuses on the development of the National Forest Standards currently being developed by the South African Government . The paper points out that the significance of small-scale timber growers in South Africa is likely to grow: Approximately one third of its timber production in the near future may be derived from small growers.  A key concern for growers is access to markets, especially where growers are not members of out-grower schemes or marketing cooperatives.

This report is an assessment of possible elements in a new and expanded programme related to environment and natural resources in Uganda.The report includes an analysis of important forest and environmental resource sector elements; key challenges, political and administrative structures, policies, activities and future plans.

How can young people be involved in creating more livable cities? Can the noble participation principles set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Agenda 21 of the Earth Summit, and Habitat II be realised? What is being done to help young people, especially children in difficult circumstances, to get their voices heard by policy-makers?

In context of the recent emergence of the debate on rights-based approaches (RBA) to conservation, this paper provides a collaborative piece of work on the constitution of RBA’s and some of the key issues surrounding them. It also looks at some examples from countries where there is a need for RBA’s.

Access to water is a widely debated topic as water scarcity is looming large before several developing countries. The traditional approach of water as a public good is giving way to reforms which consider water as an economic good. This paper critically reviews legal and policy issues around the changing approach to appropriation and access to water. It identifies two major trends in reforms in water governance:

Although difficult to calculate systematically, forests play a significant economic role at the continental, regional, national and local levels in Africa. This paper sets out to provide an overview of key forest governance issues across the African continent. It focuses particularly on the experiences in western, central and, to a lesser extent, eastern subregions of the continent.

Many water resources in Mexico run through indigenous areas. Mexican governments have often made management decisions on the basis of perceived economic needs, rather than concern for the people and ecosystems involved. This trend continues today, despite recent agreements with indigenous groups over water use.Up to 10 percent of Mexico’s population are indigenous
people. They are reliant on water resources running through their territories
and face major challenges as a result of government management policies. Research

Mineral extraction is the main source of employment and income in, Kolwezi, a city that has been tied since its inception to the
fortunes of Congolese copper and cobalt mining and the intertwined narrative of trends in international copper and cobalt supply, demand and price.

What does community based natural resource management (CBNRM) mean for Mozambique's poor?Through the case study of Derre Forest Reserve in Zambezia province, this paper explores the theory and practice of CBNRM, an approach which has been widely promoted in southern Africa, and is central to elements of the Mozambican forestry and wildlife policy of 1999.The paper examines the history of community involvement in forest use in the reserve, and the changing nature of local organisations.

A practical manual outlining the concept of this methodology and giving clear, step by step instructions on how to carry out the activity in a coastal community.The aims of resource mapping are:to provides a visual representation of resources and their usesto find a starting point for participatory problem analysis and planning.The manual describes variations on the excercise, including gender based mapping exercises.

This paper discusses how a participatory method to facilitate thinking about future scenarios can help change the way forest communities and local governments interact. It reviews a growing body of literature on future scenarios and shares first-hand experiences in forest communities in the northern Bolivian Amazon and the central provinces of Vietnam. This paper finds that under the right conditions, the use of future scenarios: