Natural resource management blogs
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Sustainable development requires an infusion of love
20 December 2013Next year, new Sustainable Development Goals will set our trajectory into an increasingly uncertain future. But country delegations are arguing over the wrong thing
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David and Goliath? Global forces vs. local interests
18 December 2013IIED director Camilla Toulmin addresses this year's Fuller Symposium, discussing the global forces that affect local communities and their ability to control their natural resources
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Strength in numbers: the promise of forest producer organisations
28 November 2013Organisations of forest farmers have much to offer society — if they get the support they need from governments, donors, the private sector and NGOs.
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Maps reveal what motivates people to take resources from flagship national park
9 October 2013A project that maps people's unauthorised use of resources in a national park provides important insights into the links between poverty and conservation.
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How to boost investment in locally controlled forestry in Mexico
1 October 2013Greater investment in locally controlled forestry in Mexico has potential to bring social, environmental and economic benefits.
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Fairer by Far: Multi-functional mosaics for public goods
23 August 2013Smallholder forest-farms are increasingly coming into competition with large-scale investors. Global demand for food, feed, fuel and fibre products is putting a squeeze on forested land.
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Uganda: Can a gorilla park deliver more benefits to local people?
26 July 2013A project aims to help poorer members of the community receive more benefits from a national gorilla park in Uganda through research and by advocating for change with national and local authorities.
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Will Payments for Watershed Services fuel the protection of ecosystem services?
21 June 2013It’s easier to prevent pollution harnessing the forces of nature than to clean up the mess with costly technology. Is there a solution at hand?
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Bamako baroke – talking politics and drinking tea
12 June 2013People in Bamako, Mali support different politicians — but share remarkably similar political priorities.
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Future world: addressing the contradictions of planet, people, power and profits
7 June 2013Our new paper on global trends aims to provoke debate as part of the process of developing IIED’s new five-year strategy. Read it and tell us what you think.
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Botswana: Biodiversity and dragons come together
22 May 2013With the Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May, a new biodiversity project highlights its importance and draws out tensions that arise when biodiversity is put at the centre of development policies.
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Myanmar: Could an unusual yam help the march of community forestry?
17 May 2013An unlikely sounding tuber could help local farmers achieve a landscape of community forestry in all but name in Myanmar.
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China in Africa’s forests
20 March 2013With growing Chinese investment in Africa’s forests and timber, could stronger China-Africa dialogue help ensure good management of forests and the timber trade?
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Four actions to reduce the ‘forest footprint’ of commodities
18 March 2013Consumer demand for palm oil is growing fast. How do we reduce the forest footprint of commodities like palm oil, and increase demand for ‘deforestation-free’ ones?
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Time to join the dots on environmental murders
28 February 2013In recent days the blood of environmentalists has flowed once again. A man in China got beaten. A man in Thailand was shot dead.They are just the latest in a long, and fast growing, list of people whose exposure of environmental crimes has made powerful men their enemies.
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New Commission for oceans in crisis
14 February 2013Our oceans give us food and oxygen, regulate climate and offer untold riches, yet are in deep trouble. So what should a new Global Ocean Commission do about it?
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Investing in sustainable productivity could secure REDD+ schemes long term
13 December 2012Putting less emphasis on carbon payments and more on supporting sustainable enterprise could give REDD+ projects longer-term financial security.
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REDD+: What is needed to make it work for the poor?
6 December 2012While REDD+ is aimed at reducing emissions from forests, its effectiveness will depend on how much the benefits trickle down to those living closest to the forest.
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China’s leadership transition
27 November 2012China’s new conservative leadership means any changes to help the country's environment will come through the existing policy framework, and not an overhaul of the system.
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How communities are protecting their biocultural resources with community protocols
2 October 2012As delegates gather for the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity this photostory looks at why two communities in India and Borneo have developed community protocols.
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We need more integrity between the treatment of forests at home and abroad
2 October 2012Does the treatment of forests at home influence what different donor nations prioritise and support abroad?
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The value of valuing ecosystem services
28 September 2012Economists continually fail to get the message across. Nowhere is this more evident than in dealing with ecosystem services.
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IUCN World Conservation Congress begins
6 September 2012At the start of the World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea, IIED’s Director Camilla Toulmin, reflects on the controversies and challenges that it faces.
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Nature has values, and markets can be governed
10 August 2012The environmental community has been rightly wary of markets. But payments for environmental services can play a role in protecting nature, so long as governments guide, govern and regulate such markets.
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Students on Fair Ideas and the future they want
10 July 2012Among the experts and practitioners attending Fair Ideas, a group of highly-engaged students discussed the future of our generation, questioned speakers, filmed short video interviews and brainstor