Introduction to livelihoods and natural resource management
Approximately 70% of the world’s poor are directly dependent upon natural resources such as land, forests and fisheries. The sustainable management of natural resources is therefore vitally important for their livelihoods.
The origins of livelihoods approaches are inextricably linked to the evolution of natural resources management (NRM) thinking. Together with more participatory approaches in NRM, livelihoods approaches have changed the emphasis from focusing primarily upon natural resource productivity to placing people at the centre of development. This includes understanding the different roles and perspectives of people depending on factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, wealth etc.
In the past development initiatives in NRM focussed on building natural capital. Livelihoods approaches highlight the importance of understanding how natural resources combine with other assets, such as financial, physical, social and human capital to sustain and improve poor people’s livelihoods. Such approaches also address resource governance issues through advocating for the need to understand natural resource use in the context of the complex policies, institutions and processes affecting poor people’s lives.
This section provides recommended reading and a regularly updated list of resources on livelihoods approaches to the management of natural resources, including land, soil and water, forests and fisheries.
Recommended reading
- The contribution of soil and water conservation to sustainable livelihoods in semi-arid areas of Sub-Saharan Africa
- ( C. Boyd; C. Turton / Overseas Development Institute, London , 2000)
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Discusses the role of soil and water conservation (SWC) practices in sustainable livelihoods and presents preliminary findings from case studies conducted in Tanzania and Uganda.
Describes the con...
- Linking poverty reduction and environmental management: policy challenges and opportunities
- ( Poverty Elimination Programme, UNDP , 2002)
- Focuses on ways to reduce poverty and sustain growth through sound and equitable environmental management. It seeks to draw out the links between poverty and the environment, and to demonstrate that ...
- Navigating amidst complexity: a guide to implementing effective research and development to improve livelihoods and the environment
- ( B.M. Campbell,;J. Hagmann,;A. Stroud, / Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research , 2006)
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This guide looks at implementing effective research and development in improving livelihoods and the environment. The guide is mainly for researchers already involved in Natural Resource Management...
- Water and the rural poor: interventions for improving livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa
- ( Land and Water Development Division, FAO , 2008)
- Insecure access to water for consumption and productive uses is a major constraint on poverty reduction in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This publication addresses the linkage between water and r...
