The Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) defines biodiversity as the variability among living
organisms from all sources including, inter alia,
terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the
ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes
diversity within species, between species, and of
ecosystems. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and TEEB
(The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) demonstrated

A healthy ocean is fundamental to human
wellbeing and an indispensable part of the Earth's
life-support system, which sustains the species and the
ecosystems upon which we depend. The ocean regulates our
climate and, as part of the hydrological cycle, drives
weather patterns that determine rainfall, droughts, and
floods. The ocean has also reduced the impact of
human-induced climate change by absorbing 25 percent of the

Bhutan has recently made significant
progress in sustaining economic growth and reducing poverty.
In 2012, average per capita household income was somewhat
under USD 2,400/year (Living Standards Measurement Surveys
2012). Growth has averaged around 9 percent per annum over
the past decade and is expected to be on the order of 8
percent per annum over the next five years. According to the
2012 Bhutan Poverty Analysis, 12 percent of the population

Contaminated sites associated with
economic growth and development and increased urbanization
pose a growing public health and environmental problem.
Emissions and discharges, particularly uncontrolled ones,
onto land can pollute the soil and the groundwater beneath,
and can also affect surface water quality and sediments in
nearby rivers and streams. This document is intended to
summarize the rationale and the major policy, regulatory,

The government of Argentina and the
World Bank desire to improve the efficiency and results of
the environmental and social outcomes of jointly financed
development projects. As part of a workshop in November 2010
attended by officials of the Ministry of Economy and Public
Finance of Argentina, World Bank staff, and representatives
of implementing units of projects being co-financed by the
Bank, several issues with regard to the implementation of

Cities are hubs of global change, and
their global influence continues to grow. Cities contribute
significantly to global challenges like climate change and
biodiversity loss. At the same time, cities experience
impacts like climate change first and with greatest
intensity. Further, cities are becoming leaders worldwide in
efforts to address global environmental and social problems.
Some of the most important smaller-scale agreements and

It is a virtual certainty that sea-level
rise will continue throughout the century and beyond 2100
even if greenhouse gas emissions are stabilized in the near
future. Understanding the economic impacts of salinity
intrusion thus is essential for planning adaptation in
low-lying coastal areas around the world. This paper
presents a case study in Bangladesh on how climate change
leads to the spread of soil salinity and the impact on

This sourcebook summarizes the outputs
and lessons of the Livestock in Africa: improving data for
better policies project. It aims to present the challenges
facing professionals collecting and analyzing livestock data
and statistics and possible solutions. While the Sourcebook
does not address all conceivable issues related to enhancing
livestock data and underlining statistical issues, it does
represent a unique document for a number of reasons. To

Mexico has started a number of
efforts to develop adequate policy frameworks in several
areas including the energy sector, transportation and
industrial policies, and forestry and natural resources
management. Its Climate Change Law and the National
Strategy on Climate Change envision is changing the upward
trend of its carbon dioxide emissions towards a total
decline of emission of thirty percent by 2020, and fifty

The World Bank Group (WBG) has a long
experience in engaging in biodiversity with world-class
expertise in the field. It has been the single largest
funder of biodiversity investments since the late 1980s. The
WBG investments have largely been of two kinds: (1)
investments in biodiversity, aimed at the conservation and
sustainable use of species, habitats, and ecosystems that
sustain healthy ecosystems, while enhancing people's

This issue of Handshake focuses on
natural resource PPPs that are making a difference. In
Cartagena, Colombia, a hybrid public-private agency is
profiled that has standardized water service to residents
while restoring the coast, and in the process, contributed
to political stabilization. Around Africas Lake Victoria, an
environmental management initiative with the potential to
reduce the pollution and resource footprint of industrial