All forest land uses can be characterised in economic terms, although until recently there was no satisfactory way to compare the market and non-market benefits of alternative forest land use options.

Society’s continuing need for minerals is clear. However, the way in which minerals are extracted, processed, used and recycled – in the context of sustainable development – is less than clear and often bitterly controversial. This publication presents the principal conclusions of the IIED/WBCSD project Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) – the most ambitious study yet undertaken on the role of minerals in sustainable development.

The Mining Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Australia project was a 15 month process of participatory research and dialogue designed to: identify the means by which the minerals sector could best contribute to society's transition to sustainable develpment; build trust and understanding between stakeholders; and begin to defie a vision for future mineral development. Facing the Future reports on the experience and outcomes of this process and recommends specific actions to enhance the minerals sector's contribution to Austalia's sustainable development.

The Gatekeeper Series of the Natural Resources Group at IIED is produced by the Sustainable
Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Programme. The Series highlights emerging issues and new perspectives in the fields of natural resource management (NRM), livelihoods and sustainable agriculture. Each Gatekeeper paper provides a succinct review of an issue of contemporary
importance and makes preliminary recommendations for policy makers, researchers and planners.
The series presents a diversity of perspectives, both from within and outside IIED, and with a special focus on work by Southern authors. All geographic regions are covered, although the main focus is on Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Gatekeeper series consists of nine papers published three
times a year (three papers each in April, August and December). All subscriptions are free of charge.

This book provides an international perspective on rural planning, focused on developing countries. It examines conventional development planning and innovative local planning approaches, drawing together lessons from recent experience of rural planning and land use 

Ce document s’appuie sur une etude conduite en association avec le projet de recherche interdisciplinaire intitulée <>. Ce dossier décrit une étude portant sur le Bassin du lac Manyara, situé dans le nord-ouest de la Tanzanie. L’étude couvre les zones nord et centre de cette région et se penche plus en détail sur huit villages et leurs paysages. Il identifie les processus sociaux, économiques et politiques d’importance qui se sont produits au cours des 100 dernières années environ, afin d’apprehender le rapport entre pratiques d’occupation foncière et évolution de l’environnement. Elle avotre les incidences des resultats historaique, socio-economiques et environnementaux de la recherche, en vue d’interpreter les changements survenus dans le Bassin du lac Manyara et de compare ces resultats aux idees recues ou dominates en matiere d’evoution de l’environnement. Le document met l’accent sur le fait que ces techniques sont applicable a l’etude de l’evolution de l’environnement dans d’autres contextes africains.

The reduction of world poverty is a major challenge for the international community over the next decade. It is increasingly clear that the our capacity to successfully achieve this objective will be undermined if the natural resource base for development is threatened. ~Biodiversity is a fundamental characteristic of that resource base, defining many of its immediate and future potentials and vulnerabilities. The purpose of this document is to explore how biodiversity and people’s interactions with it might either support or restrict poverty reduction processes. It does so by aiming to develop a better understanding of biodiversity, the values it holds, and how people respond to it. It attempts to shed light on the differing impacts of these values – and their associated management systems on people’s livelihoods, especially those of the poorest groups. It ends with a presentation of possible future actions.