This paper contains an initial
reconnaissance of the situation in Yunfu, prior to the
NanGuang project construction. It provides a brief overview
of the trajectory of economic development in Yunfu from an
economy that was dominated by primary industries to that by
secondary industries. The development of local transport
infrastructure is reviewed, as is the more detailed
structure of local industries, with special emphasis on

Real gross domestic product (GDP)
expanded by 6.7 percent in 2013, a modest deceleration from
the 7 percent recorded in the previous year, but well above
the average 4.9 percent rate of growth recorded over the
last ten years. The economy benefited from strong growth in
the agriculture (rebounding from last year's drought),
mining and services sectors, which largely offset weaker
activity in fishing activity. A continuation of these

Livestock systems globally are changing
rapidly in response to human population growth,
urbanization, and growing incomes. This paper discusses the
linkages between burgeoning demand for livestock products,
growth in livestock production, and the impacts this may
have on natural resources, and how these may both affect and
be affected by climate change in the coming decades. Water
and land scarcity will increasingly have the potential to

This Africa's pulse newsletter
includes the following headings: Sub-Saharan African
countries continue to grow at a steady pace; the
region's decade-long economic expansion appears
sustainable; and for newly resource-rich countries, strong
governance will be key to harnessing resource wealth for development

After hearing of the success of
Fundacion Chile, the governor of the Mexican state of
Jalisco sought to recreate the foundation locally. The
result is Fundacion Jalisco, which seeks to import
successful business models to small farmers in Jalisco. For
its first project, the Fundacion imported high-yield
blueberry plants from the United States, started a nursery,
and gave the plants to local farmers who were capable of

This case study is one of six
evaluations of the implementation of the World Bank's
1991 Forest Strategy. This and the other cases (Cameroon,
China, Costa Rica, India, and Indonesia) complement a review
of the entire set of lending and nonlending activities of
the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility.
The World Bank has clearly diminished its lending presence
in the Amazon in the past decade. It has moved from the

Estimating the potential costs of
climate destabilization is not a trivial matter. Potential
climate impacts have multiple consequences, some of which
can be monetized while others are beyond the reach of
standard economic tools. A full assessment of the
implications of climate impacts often cannot be completed
because many of the consequences are only partly known. This
report summarizes data recently made available, through the

Rapid economic growth in China has
boosted its demand for commodities. At the same time, many
commodity sectors have experienced declining demand from
high-income northern economies. This paper examines two
hypotheses of the consequences of this shift in final
markets for the organization of global value chains in
general, and for the role played in them by southern
producers in particular. The first is that there will be a

Dry tropical woodlands provide around 80
percent of the energy needs of both urban and rural
populations in Africa and are of similar importance on a
more localized scale in other areas. They also provide
livestock fodder, building poles and many of the daily needs
of the rural people living in and around them. Concern about
the degradation and depletion of these woodlands date back a
long time. Large numbers of woodfuel projects were launched

These Guidelines attempt to expand on
social impact assessments (SIAs) and other assessment tools,
such as environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and
macro-economic planning processes conducted by government
(local economic development planning), to develop a more
comprehensive set of guidelines that examine positive
impacts as well as opportunities for enhancing
socio-economic development around the proposed development.

This case study, one of six evaluations
in a series of country case studies, aims to understand the
implementation of the 1991 Forest Strategy in World Bank
operations and to obtain the views of the various
stakeholders in the country about the involvement of the
Bank. Each country study examines the overall development of
the country's forest sector. This naturally includes
the environmental impacts on forests, such as degradation,

This case study is one of six
evaluations of the implementation of the World Bank's
1991 Forest Strategy. This and the other cases (Brazil,
Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, and India) complement a review
of the entire set of lending and nonlending activities of
the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility. A
review of World Bank assistance to Indonesia in the forest
sector since 1991 faces two challenges. The first is