Divided into three sections, this book explores the three main pillars of sustainable development, namely economy, environment and society, and their interlinkages at the regional level. The first section, Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for sustainable development, focuses on international agreements and national legislation, as well as the challenges in implementing ABS in e.g. India. In turn, the second section examines the process of forming Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the Local Self Government (LSG) level to promote environmental sustainability, highlighting local and community-level conservation initiatives that have led to the conservation of habitats and species. The third section addresses poverty eradication and food security. The case studies included demonstrate how the combination of traditional knowledge and modern techniques can enhance the productivity of traditional crop varieties, yielding greater benefits for communities. The aim of this volume is to disseminate the lessons learned from these case studies, as well as the findings from projects already in place, which can offer recommendations that can be applied to similar problems elsewhere in an attempt to find environmental solutions for sustainable development. Further, it introduces readers to new approaches to inclusive development, demonstrating that participation and grass root empowerment are key drivers of equitable and sustainable development.

Contents: Biodiversity, Living with Diversity, Saving the Planet, Population and the Environment, Ecosystems, Our Unknown Protectors, Climate Change and Human Health, Population Growth and Climate Change, Economics and Sustainable Development, Urbanization and the Environment, Sustainable Cities, Fresh Water and the Environment, Forests, Towards Healthy Cities, Global Warming, Money Alone is not Enough, Tourism and the Environment, Energy and Sustainability, Cities Residents to the Rescue, Children s Health and the Environment, Ecotourism or Ecocide? Sustainable Tourism Development, Economics and Environment, Population Growth and Energy, Population Growth and Urbanization, Population Growth and Waste, Using Economics to Advantage, Water, Solutions for a Water-Short World, Living with Leviathan, An Agenda for Change, Sustainable Tourism and the Environment, Big-Dam Construction is on the Rise, Population Growth and Fresh Water, Population Growth and Natural Recreation Areas, Development of Sericulture, The Do s and Don ts of Risk Reduction, Consuming the Future, Crisis Prevention, Crisis and New Orientation of Development Policy, Aid Effectiveness as a Multi-Level Process, The Dematerialisation of the World Economy, What s Driving Migration, Not Yet Fossil Fuel.

The loss of the earth's biological diversity is widely recognized as a critical environmental problem. That loss is most severe in developing countries, where the conditions of human existence are most difficult. Conserving Biodiversity presents an agenda for research that can provide information to formulate policy and design conservation programs in the Third World. The book includes discussions of research needs in the biological sciences as well as economics and anthropology, areas of critical importance to conservation and sustainable development. Although specifically directed toward development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and decisionmakers in developing nations, this volume should be of interest to all who are involved in the conservation of biological diversity.