Tourism is the world's largest industry, and, in both developed and developing countries, ecotourism is now the fastest growing sector of this industry. Being such a powerful economic force, particularly in developing countries with little other industry, ecotourism has been able to prevent environmental destruction and, when managed correctly, promote community development and empowerment. Development of an ecotourism iscomplicated, however, and involves many different parties, all of whom aspire to gain from the process. All parties involved must collaborate to ensure not only that the wildlife and habitat are protected, but also that the venture is beneficial to the local communities who traditionally manage the wildlands

This describes the innovative poverty reduction programmes set up by the Urban Community Development Office (UCDO) in Thailand and how this fed into a new institution into which its programmes became integrated - the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI). Both UCDO and its successor CODI provide community-based savings groups with a range of loans to support income generation, community enterprises, housing improvement/upgrading, new housing (especially for squatters threatened with eviction) and community-managed revolving funds. Loans were also provided to networks of community organisations who could on-lend to their members. The loan programmes were complimented with a small grants programme for community managed environmental improvement projects and support for community welfare funds. CODI is also supporting rural community groups, networks of groups (for instance as all community organisations in a city join together to work with the local authorities on a city-wide plan) and is helping to develop the Thai government's ambitious 'cities without slums' programme. Read more: www.iied.org/urban/pubs/urbn_pov.html To order: www.earthprint.com/go.htm?to=9242IIED

This describes the innovative poverty reduction programmes set up by the Urban Community Development Office (UCDO) in Thailand and how this fed into a new institution into which its programmes became integrated - the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI). Both UCDO and its successor CODI provide community-based savings groups with a range of loans to support income generation, community enterprises, housing improvement/upgrading, new housing (especially for squatters threatened with eviction) and community-managed revolving funds. Loans were also provided to networks of community organisations who could on-lend to their members. The loan programmes were complimented with a small grants programme for community managed environmental improvement projects and support for community welfare funds. CODI is also supporting rural community groups, networks of groups (for instance as all community organisations in a city join together to work with the local authorities on a city-wide plan) and is helping to develop the Thai government's ambitious 'cities without slums' programme. Read more: www.iied.org/urban/pubs/urbn_pov.html To order: www.earthprint.com/go.htm?to=9242IIED

Rural-urban Working Papers No 9 A high proportion of the urban population in most nations live in small and intermediate urban centres. These centres also play an important role for rural households and rural producers and enterprises. But the potential contribution of small and intermediate urban centres to local (rural and urban) economic development and to poverty reduction is all too often ignored by sectoral policies. This paper reviews what can be learnt from the role of small and intermediate urban centres in supporting more prosperous and often diverse local economies, including supporting rural non-farm employment and agricultural production, and in widening the role of ‘good governance’ in reducing urban and rural poverty

The participation of the public, local communities, indigenous peoples, and various other stakeholders in natural resources policymaking, planning and/or management has been increasingly promoted in international and national policies. This book analyses and discusses how participation does - or does not - occur in the management of forest and water resources at various institutional levels in European contexts.

This issue of Environment and Urbanization includes three papers on community provision: the community-designed, built and managed toilet blocks in Indian cities; the WaterAid water and sanitation programme in Dhaka and Chittagong; and community tanks in Orangi, Karachi. It also has a review of experience to date with water privatization, and papers discussing women's and children's priorities for water and sanitation. There are case studies of water stress and their causes in Guadalajara and Beijing, and discussions and case studies of drainage and of how wastewater can be used for agriculture. A special supplement on the Millennium Development Goals has papers discussing the MDGs and urban poverty reduction, a Programme for Land Tenure Legalization on Public Land in São Paulo and financial frameworks to reduce 'slums' and support home improvements for low-income households.

This document presents a framework for undertaking the Global Campaign for Secure tenure at the national level, It contains and explanation on how the national campaign is situated withi the overall objectives and goals of the GCST. It also presents an overview the three main stages on national campaign implementation.