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Conservation, Poverty and Inequities

Small Grant

Keywords

Conservation - Inequities - Poverty

Summary

The overarching goal of this project is to analyse links between poverty, health, and the environment, and provide policy makers with research results to advance the Millenium Development Goals and World Summit of Sustainable Development Implementation Plan. The project aims to contribute critical input to deliberations at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) to be held in Bangkok, Thailand between 17-25 November 2004. The Congress will attract more than 3,000 participants (scientists, policy makers, practitioners, politicians, business and community leaders) and will explore the relationships between people, conservation and development in the context of many of the world's most pressing development and sustainability challenges.

The project will focus on how conservation activities can contribute to poverty reduction, bearing in mind internal and external structural constraints. The research will consider the opportunities and limits of employing an integrated approach to conservation and poverty reduction, in the context of today's market-based economies. It will analyse the links between social inequities, poverty, natural resources, security and rights, and explore how poverty reduction, better public health and human well-being can be supported by strategies for conservation of natural resources. The research will also consider how weak governance, corruption, illegal activities and unclear tenure rights contribute to poverty and environmental degradation, and how the economic constraints of indebtedness affect the use of natural resources at the local, national and international levels. Various case studies and experiences in Latin America, Africa and Asia will be examied to ascertain how different conservation approaches at the local level impact the livelihoods of poor people.

A paper summarising the major findings of the research will be presented at the World Conservation Forum in Bangkok in November 2004. Research results and case studies will be disseminated to internal and external audiences concerned by the topic.

The grant provided by the GIAN for this project totals SFr 43,500

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Project Team

Dr. Pascal van Griethuysen , Coordinator, Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) .

Mr Peter Bille Larsen , Principal Member, World Conservation Union (IUCN) .

Ms Florence Nuoffer , Principal Member, Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) .

Mr Rolf Steppacher , Principal Member, Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) .

Related Links

> IUCN , "Poverty, Inequity and Rights in Conservation" Project's page.

> IUCN , Conservation for Poverty Reduction.

Research Output

Poverty, Equity and Rights in Conservation
(available in French and English)
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