A defining feature of many of the world’s cities is an outward expansion far beyond formal administrative boundaries, largely propelled by the use of the automobile, poor urban and regional planning and land speculation. A large proportion of cities both from developed and developing countries have high consuming suburban expansion patterns which often extend to even further peripheries. Cities need to accommodate new and thriving urban functions such as transportation routes, etc. as they expand.

Zambia remains committed to the socio-economic development planning of the country as reflected by the return to development planning in 2005. The Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) for the period 2017- 2021 is the successor to the Revised Sixth National Development Plan, 2013-2016 (R-SNDP) following its expiry in December 2016. The Plan, like the three national development plans (NDPs) that preceded it, is aimed at attaining the long-term objectives as outlined in the Vision 2030 of becoming a “prosperous middle-income country by 2030”.

 As climate change impacts intensify, growing rates of natural disasters cause increasing damage to the lives of people across the globe. Climate change-related disasters include both rapid-onset disasters (such as hurricanes) and slow-onset disasters (such as long-term droughts). Given the urgency of rapidonset disasters, it is unsurprising that governments, multi-lateral organizations, donors and others target a large percentage of resources towards rapid-onset events related to climate change.

The objective of the Planning Regulation 2017 is to prescribe instruments and address matters provided for under the Planning Act 2016, and provide the mechanics for the operation and implementation of the Act.

El presente Reglamento de Renovación Urbana, tiene por objetivo complementar las herramientas establecidas en el artículo 21 de la Ley de Planificación Urbana, y fijar las normas que deberán adoptarse para rehabilitar, remodelar o regenerar las áreas urbanas disfuncionales, o conservar áreas urbanas, cuya intervención sea considerada estratégica por parte de los gobiernos municipales o el Estado.

This revised agricultural policy and strategic framework provides a coherent policy framework to address the key challenges in Timor-Leste. The Government recognizes that there is no simple "solution by technology". The Government will therefore re-orient agricultural and rural development policies that will redefine incentives and reduce barriers to food and agricultural systems transformation. Particular attention will be given to supporting small-scale, low-income farmers in strengthening their capacity to manage risks and adopt effective strategies to adapt to climate change.

Jordan’s rangelands, the so called Badia, home of the Bedouins, are threatened through a combination of
over-exploitation of the ecosystem services and a changing climate towards drier seasons and highly
erratic rainfalls. In the recent decades, the once productive grazing lands transformed into sparsely
vegetated and crusted desert grounds not capable of retaining the sporadic rainwater within the landscape
- and consequentialsurface runoff inevitably acceleratessoil erosion and gullying. To counter-measure the

[C]onservation is not a priority….. they [Frelimo] want economic growth at any point. So if they find …… coal and gas and other minerals it doesn’t matter where they are found, their priority is to develop those industries and I think they will worry about ecosystems ……. as an afterthought. Right now their main focus is growth, economic growth. (Interview with government official, discussing the governing party’s view of conservation in the context of a resources boom, 14 May 2014).

Land administration in Sri Lanka is institutionally and functionally fragmented and geographically incomplete. The current situation is an impediment to spatial planning and land and natural resources management with direct impact to economic growth and social development. Sri Lanka should embark to an orchestrated and incremental improvement of policies, institutional arrangements and technical solutions to improve clarity, ownership and sustainability of the land administration system and services.

Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) have recently been introduced as key element in the greening of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. In 2015, farmers across the EU have implemented EFAs for the first time. Data for German federal states indicate a strong variance in EFA decisions with an overall dominance of catch crops, nitrogen fixing crops and fallow land – two of which bear limited benefits for biodiversity conservation. This article explores how experts explain EFA choices.

This Regional Legislative Decree approves the Tourism Planning Programme (POT) of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

This Code of Forest Harvesting Practices seeks to provide a set of guidelines to forest operators for carrying out sustainable and improved harvesting operations. It applies to all harvesting operations within Liberia’s natural forests. It includes among other things, social environmental and social performance requirements for timber logging and post-harvesting activities.