This paper surveys the current state of
knowledge concerning the value of the Amazon rainforest,
including a survey of work to date to quantify changes in
economic values when the rainforest cover changes. The focus
is on local and regional impacts of forest loss or
protection, including both gross values of forest protection
and opportunity costs of converting the forest to other uses
including agriculture. Important gross value items surveyed

Reduction of carbon emissions from
deforestation and forest degradation has been identified as
a cost effective element of the post-Kyoto strategy to
achieve long-term climate objectives. Its success depends
primarily on the design and implementation of a financial
mechanism that provides land-holders sufficient incentives
to participate in such scheme. This paper proposes
self-enforcing contracts (relational contracts) as a

China promulgated the Medium and
Long-Term Development Plan for Renewable Energy in 2007,
which included targets of 2010 and 2020 for various
renewable energy technologies including biofuels. The 2010
biofuel targets were met and even surpassed except for
non-grain fuel ethanol; however, there is debate on whether
and how the country will be able to meet the 2020 biofuels
target. This paper provides a resource and technological

Reducing emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation and enhancing carbon stocks (REDD+)
has raised the profile of benefit sharing in the forest
sector. Sharing benefits, however, is not a new concept.
Previous work on benefit sharing (associated with
intellectual property, forest and agriculture concessions,
mining, and so forth) has focused on clarifying the concept
and examining how benefit sharing could feed into broader

The Latin America and Caribbean Region
has been at the forefront of global biodiversity
conservation, dedicating 20 percent of its land to protected
areas compared to 13 percent in the rest of the developing
world. This progress has stretched available budgets for
conservation with estimates indicating that a twofold
increase would be necessary to achieve optimal management of
existing protected areas based on 2008 data. Recognizing the

This report details seven
recommendations from the International Environmental and
Social Panel of Experts for the Nam Theun 2 (NT2)
Multipurpose Project in the Lao People s Democratic
Republic. 1) Watershed Management and Protection Authority
(WMPA) conservation patrols will be repeated at least once a
month, including the wet season. 2) The provincial and
central government authorities will take effective action to

Pakistan experienced severe flooding
after torrential monsoon rains hit southern Sindh and the
adjoining areas of Punjab and north-eastern Balochistan in
August 2011. Flash floods triggered by the monsoon rain
caused severe damage to infrastructure in the affected
areas. Entire villages and urban centers have been flooded,
homes have been destroyed, and over a million acres of crops
and agricultural lands have been damaged. A Damage and Needs

Interest in farmland is rising. And,
given commodity price volatility, growing human and
environmental pressures, and worries about food security,
this interest will increase, especially in the developing
world. One of the highest development priorities in the
world must be to improve smallholder agricultural
productivity, especially in Africa. Smallholder productivity
is essential for reducing poverty and hunger, and more and

A Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) was
undertaken to assess the returns to land management
practices of major land use types, namely forests,
rangelands, and selected crops (rice, maize, cotton, and
millet). Also the public expenditure on SLM was reviewed
and an assessment carried out how the expenditure is aligned
to land policies and how it is targeted to land degradation
hotspots. The results show that, without some form of

This paper reviews recent developments
in biofuel markets and their economic, social and
environmental impacts. Several countries have introduced
mandates and targets for biofuel expansion. Production,
international trade and investment have increased sharply in
the past few years. However, several existing studies have
blamed biofuels as one of the key factors behind the
2007-2008 global food crisis, although the magnitudes of

This report presents the impact and
lessons learned from the Andhra Pradesh Drought Adaptation
Initiative (APDAI). The APDAI was implemented as a package
of pilot activities in two dryland districts in Andhra
Pradesh (Anantapur and Mahbubnagar) with the aim of
developing and testing approaches for natural resource-based
economic activities to better respond to current climate
variability and long-term consequences of climate change.

Expert statements indicate that annually
approximately 20 billion dollars will be needed to prevent
90 percent deforestation in tropical countries. Development
practitioners are eager to see the benefits from REDD plus
initiatives shared with local partners. Equally important to
understanding how local partners might benefit are questions
such as, who should derive benefits from REDD plus
initiatives, and how to ensure these initiatives reach the