US$15.00 to Non-OECD countries

Patents, intellectual property rights, biopiracy... these terms are appearing more and more frequently in the news. It is clear even to the lay person that these are controversial issues. What is not clear is what they mean. What implications do they have for an ordinary citizen? Why are they such a hot topic of debate? What connection do intellectual property rights (IPRs) have with biological resources? What is the link to India's traditional knowledge, such as the medicinal properties of turmeric that were patented in the USA a few years ago? This handbook is a step towards filling the gap of user-friendly information and encouraging mainstream debate on IPRs, biodiversity and traditional knowledge. This handbook introduces the world of IPRs in clear, simple language. Presented in a Question & Answer format, it begins with the most basic questions and progresses to more complex issues, making it easily accessible to laypersons as well as those who are already familiar with the subject This publication is part of the Biodiversity Information Pack which includes three components. The other titles are: 'A Guide to the Biological Diversity Act 2002' and 'Understanding the Biological Diversity Act 2002'

The threat of global warming, high oil prices and concerns about energy security have all contributed to a renewed global interest in biofuels as an alternative to oil for transport. This interest is reflected in the rapid expansion of biofuel markets. But what are the implications of this expansion for sustainable development?

Au Burkina Faso, les terres rurales non aménagées notamment les bas-fonds fertiles sont en train d’être approprier par de nouveaux types d’agriculteurs appelés « nouveaux acteurs ». Chargés de moderniser l’agriculture à partir de l’agrobusiness avec le soutien politique des pouvoirs publics, ces nouveaux acteurs sont très souvent des agents en activité ou à la retraite des secteurs public et privé, des commerçants et des hommes politiques des principaux centres urbains et des ruraux ayant fait fortune dans l’élevage ou le commerce. Le choix stratégique des pouvoirs publics d’associer les nouveaux acteurs (suffisamment influents au regard de la puissance de leurs de réseaux financiers et sociaux) au premier plan des rapports à la terre rurale, leur évite une prise directe, et même « controversée » comme par le passé, avec les règles coutumières de gestion foncière. Cette option offre, à travers de nouvelles mise en relation des régimes fonciers moderne et coutumier, des champs de rapports renouvelés entre ville et campagne, entre citadins et ruraux, entre agriculture moderne et agriculture traditionnelle. Ce rapport observe ces rapports autour du lac Bazèga, au centre-sud du Burkina Faso, où de nombreux domaines arboricoles sont l’initiative d’opérateurs privés depuis quelques décennies.

Le document est la synthèse d'une étude de cas réalisée sur la thématique sous-régionale "Genre, foncier et décentralisation". L'étude principale est structurée en deux parties interactives : trois portraits de femmes, représentatifs de trois situations significatives en matière d'accès aux ressources naturelles et de leadership local ; et un rapport général qui se fonde à la fois sur les portraits et sur les entretiens réalisés dans les sept sites d'étude retenus en régions de Maradi et de Zinder.

This paper is a summary of a regional case study on gender, land and decentralisation. The main study has two parts: three portraits of women showing different examples of access to natural resources and local leadership; and a general report based on the portraits and on interviews carried

Ce dossier examine le développement d'un cadre économique pour l'évaluation du pastoralisme en Afrique de l'Est'economique du pastoralisme en Afrique de l'Est.

In Burkina Faso, undeveloped rural lands, especially fertile wetlands, are being appropriated by a new type of farmer known as the ‘new actor’. Supported by government policy in an attempt to modernize agriculture through agribusiness, these new actors are made up of officials from the public and private sectors and others from mainly commercial backgrounds. By making these new actors key players in rural land relations, the government strategically avoids direct engagement with customary land management rules that proved so controversial in the past. This latest encounter between modern and customary land regimes is an opportunity to re-establish a rapport between urban and rural citizens and between modern and traditional agriculture.

Many policy makers in East Africa have preconceptions about the value of pastoralism as a land-use system believing it to be economically inefficient and environmentally destructive. Yet, this is not evidence-based. Not only is there no consensus on what is a dynamic economic model of pastoralism, no mechanisms exist to inform government decision-making of its comparative advantages over alternative land uses. This paper argues that pastoralism does make a significant contribution to society and that, with better understanding, planning and data collection, its value can be demonstrated. The paper presents a preliminary framework for assessing the benefits of pastoralism that goes beyond conventional criteria relating to livestock and their by-products. While the paper focuses on East Africa, much of the analysis is applicable to pastoral systems in other regions of Africa.

The UK is widely considered to be a leader in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR); home to some of the word’s leading thinkers, practitioners and campaigners in the field. Despite this, there are few opportunities for collective strategic thinking about CSR across stakeholder groups. Corporate Social Responsibility at a Crossroads was designed to help to fill that gap. It was a process of analysis and stakeholder engagement to build scenarios for the future of CSR in the UK to 2015. The aim was to facilitate a dialogue across informed stakeholders in the UK; to provide an accessible map of the territory; and to set out some plausible scenarios for the future shape of the CSR agenda in the UK. This report records that analysis and the ideas that emerged from the process.

This paper explores the potential for financing small-scale high-benefit sustainable development projects through the voluntary and retail sector of the carbon market.