In the natural resources sector, laws are often formulated to regulate the relationship between men and the environment. Ideally, the law can play a vital role in regulating and protecting communities from adverse environmental and social impacts of mining, loss of land, biodiversity and natural wealth, as well as other human rights violations. Almost all countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have developed laws and institutions to regulate and monitor the extraction of mineral resources and their impact on the environment and people.

Although the historical focus on tenure reforms has resulted in some important improvements in the livelihoods of forest communities, it has not prevented them from suffering social exclusion and impoverishment.

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region has valuable and diverse coastal and marine resources, but much of its natural capital is either threatened or declining. The WIO encompasses rich diverse tropical and subtropical areas along the coastlines of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa. This region also comprises vast oceanic areas and the island states of Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius and Réunion. This paper focuses on the marine and coastal governance of mainland states in the region.

This article focuses on lessons about desertification and the potential of trees as part of the solution, drawn from a specific rural situation in the Sahel, that of Keita, Tahoua Department, the Niger. Author provides observations and conclusions based on the direct experience over almost 15 years in Keita.Article describes the forces that left the district classified as marginal land with no hope of rehabilitation and the lengthy process by which the land had been rehabilitated.

In the natural resources sector, laws are often formulated to regulate the relationship between men and the environment. Ideally, the law can play a vital role in regulating and protecting communities from adverse environmental and social impacts of mining, loss of land, biodiversity and natural wealth, as well as other human rights violations. Almost all countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have developed laws and institutions to regulate and monitor the extraction of mineral resources and their impact on the environment and people.

Water projects have, arguably, the greatest potential to create conflict in development programmes. Not only is water central to health, sanitation and agrarian livelihoods but it can contribute to other conflict dynamics such as land or grazing rights. Applying conflict-sensitive programming to water projects, therefore, seeks to minimise the potential for fuelling conflict whilst looking to maximise the potential positive impact of the development. This paper details the experience of applying conflict-sensitivity to two water projects in Uganda.

This paper presents a meta-analysis of what drives deforestation and what stops it. The researchers find that forests are more likely to be cleared where economic returns to agriculture and pasture are higher, either due to more favorable climatological and topographic conditions, or due to lower costs of clearing forest and transporting products to market. It is argued that timber activity, land tenure security, and community demographics do not show a consistent association with either higher or lower deforestation.

This paper initially highlights the general characteristics of rangelands and pastoral production systems of the Tibetan Plateau.The article finds that:given the realities of life in a heterogeneous and marginal environment, the issue of secure resource tenure, both customary and legal, is fundamental for effective rangeland managementa simple shift in tenure from the communal (traditional and subsistence) to individual household level (ranching and commercial) will not be enough to facilitate a change in behaviour toward "rational" livestock operationsmany institutional mechanisms must be

This paper summarises the importance of wetlands in relation to climate change and eaxmines their potential role in the measures for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) under the Kyoto Protocol. The links between REDD concepts and wetlands are explored for the following reasons:

This document is a collection of essays which survey the controversial aspects of the management of water resources in urban areas in view of the increasing urbanisation and privatisation of water services. It addresses and characterises the conflicts that arise within large human settlements due to economic and social implications of access to and use of basic water services. It also presents in-depth case studies from Europe, Asia and Latin America.Exploring the geneses of the urban water conflicts the essays in the document list the following important causal factors:

This report examines strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the capacity building services available for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) readiness in Asia-Pacific countries. It begins with an overview of capacity building service providers and then assesses the leading providers currently operating. The report concludes by offering recommendations for policy makers, development partners and service providers.