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

Many experts believe that low-cost
mitigation opportunities in agriculture are abundant and
comparable in scale to those found in the energy sector.
They are mostly located in developing countries and have to
do with how land is used. By investing in projects under the
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), countries can tap these
opportunities to meet their own Kyoto Protocol obligations.
The CDM has been successful in financing some types of

Today, 370 million people live in cities
in earthquake prone areas and 310 million in cities with
high probability of tropical cyclones. By 2050, these
numbers are likely to more than double. Mortality risk
therefore is highly concentrated in many of the world s
cities and economic risk even more so. This paper discusses
what sets hazard risk in urban areas apart, provides
estimates of valuation of hazard risk, and discusses

Agriculture and agroprocessing are
important in Zambia's economy, representing more than
40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and contributing
about 12 percent of national export earnings. Agriculture
employs some 67 percent of the labor force and supplies raw
materials to agricultural industries, which account for some
84 percent of manufacturing value-added in the country.
Smallholder agriculture dominates the rural economy. It

As the world recovers only slowly from
the 2008 financial crisis and Europe is facing a looming
debt crisis, concerns have increased that the "new
normal" -- a period of high unemployment, low returns
on investment, high risks, and low growth -- may become
protracted in advanced economies. If growth remains weak,
unemployment rates and debt levels will be slow to recede.
Consequently, the global recovery may continue to be fragile

Under the Kyoto Protocol to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the
industrialized countries adopted quantified emission
reductions obligations. Marking the 10th anniversary of the
establishment of the World Bank Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF)
the world's first global carbon fund, this report seeks
to take stock of the World Bank's experience of working
with the Kyoto Protocol's project-based mechanisms over

Recurring environmental incidents have
led to increased public awareness of the threats of
environmental pollution to public health and rapid
urbanization is driving up land prices in Chinese cities. As
a result of these developments, industrial plant relocations
are numerous, particularly of heavily polluting industrial
plants, such as pesticide, coke, steel plants, and chemical
industry plants. These relocations are leaving behind many

What transforms a Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) project from a desirable project on a
government 'wish list' to an attractive investment
opportunity in the eyes of a potential private sector
partner? This guide seeks to enhance the chances of
developing effective partnerships between the public and the
private sectors by addressing one of the main obstacles to
the effective delivery of PPP projects: having the right

After the post-war reconstruction period
that started in 1990-1992, Lebanon made spectacular
improvements to repair the scars of the wars by investing
heavily in public infrastructure, roads, highways, airports
and harbors, communications, commercial estates, and high
and middle income housing. The environmental neglect had an
impact on the economy and resulted in a degradation
amounting to US$ 565 million in 2000 or 3.4 percent of Gross

This report is a window into a larger
initiative, the jobs and prosperity: building Zambia's
Competitiveness (JPC) program. The JPC program is a
'joint venture' between the governments of the
Republic of Zambia, the Zambian private sector, the United
Kingdom's Department for International Development
(DFID), the African development bank group and the World
Bank Group. As such, the report represents the collective

The theme of the 2011 Philippines
development report is 'generating inclusive growth,
uplifting the poor and vulnerable'. This theme is
follows from the priorities set in President Aquino's
Social Contract and the emerging 2011-2016 Philippines
Development Plan (PDP). The PDP details the vision of
inclusive growth and poverty reduction that underlies the
social contract (chapter one). Accordingly, the PDP focuses

Although charcoal is the single most
important energy source for millions of urban dwellers in
Tanzania, being used by all tiers of society from laborers
to politicians, it seems to be politically neglected and
even unwanted, given that it is not considered as a possible
mean to achieve long-term sustainable development, for
example as a low-carbon growth option contributing to energy
security, sustainable forest management, and poverty