Many rural communities in the global South – including some 370 million indigenous peoples – are directly dependent on biodiversity and related traditional knowledge for their livelihoods, food security, healthcare and well-being. But with the loss of biodiversity, valuable resources such as climate-resilient crops, medicinal plants and wild foods are being lost. Cultural diversity is being eroded at an unprecedented rate and with it, ancestral knowledge of how to use and conserve biodiversity.

Muchas comunidades rurales –incluyendo unos 370 millones de indígenas- dependen directamente de la biodiversidad y del conocimiento tradicional relacionado para sus medios de vida, seguridad alimentaria, cuidado de la salud y bienestar. Pero con la pérdida de biodiversidad, están desapareciendo valiosos recursos, como cultivos resistentes al clima, plantas medicinales y alimentos silvestres.

Designed for both experienced and new trainers who have an interest in training others in the use of participatory methods, whether they are researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, villagers or trainers.

All over the world citizens are starting to demand accountability from those in power. We are seeing exciting experiments in participatory governance. But are they working for young people? What spaces are most promising for the participation of children and young people in governance?

Do you work with or in an international or northern office of an international non-governmental organisation (INGO)? Do you facilitate participatory processes at the grassroots? Have you ever wondered how wide an impact the process might have?

High prices and concerns about energy security in the oil and gas industry are driving expansion into ever more sensitive environments with greater technoological, political and social risks.

 This publication contains abstracts from papers presented at the fourth International  Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change was held on 21-27 February 2010 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

This special issue of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) reflects on the journey towards participatory approaches in poverty reduction in China, focusing in particular on the transformations at the interface between the government and rural communities.

This book takes another look at the costs of adapting to climate change. The estimates for 2030 used by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are likely to be substantial under-estimates.

Where do you shit? In developing countries, the answer may determine whether you live or die. Around 2.6 billion people defecate in the open. The consequences are dire: shit carries disease and is major killer. Recently, a radical new particatory approach called Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has encouraged millions of people to at, talk about and tackle the problems caused by open defecation.

The groundbreaking " Silver Bullet or Fools Gold " (2002) reviewed the state of markets for environmental services worldwide and their likely impacts on the poor. Here we present a follow up review on payments for watershed services initiatives in developing countries.

How can investors be encouraged to consider more than purely commercial and short-term gains?