Household Poverty Dimensions Influencing Forest Dependence at Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: An Application of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework

This paper explores the perceived relationship between household poverty and forest dependence among the poorest residents neighboring Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Using the sustainable livelihoods framework, this paper examines the influence of household poverty on forest dependence. The findings reveal that food and health security risks are primary drivers of forest dependence. Education security risks however, were found to have an indirect influence. Both food and health security risks were found to have equal influence on forest dependence. The economic security risks traditionally believed to significantly influence forest dependence were not found to have a direct influence.

Biological Diversity, Land Degradation and Sustainable Rural Livelihoods

The 1998 Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity asked national governments to demonstrate the importance of biological diversity in supporting rural communities. This paper introduces‘agrodiversity’as the primary way in which farmers use biological diversity and, more generally, the natural diversity of the environment for production, including their choice of crops, and management of land, water and biota as a whole. Promoting agrodiversity and understanding how it functions in tropical smallholder farming systems is the best way that importance may be shown. A win-win scenario is presented which links agrodiversity to land degradation control and sustainable rural livelihoods as evidenced by food security. It is argued that policies that encourage biological diversity in areas of land use will not only meet countries’ responsibilities under the Convention but will also address land degradation problems and support to rural livelihoods. The human significance of various types of biological diversity is shown. Sustainable rural livelihoods are presented in the new capital assets framework to demonstrate how rural households may use various components to control land degradation. To enable agrodiversity to be implemented practically, it has been codified into core elements of: biophysical diversity, the diversity of the natural environment that controls the resource base for food production; management diversity that embraces the practices (many of them indigenous) of farmers such as live hedges, soil amendments and ridge tillage techniques; agro-biodiversity which is the diversity of crop, plant and animal combinations; and organisational diversity, the way that farms are owned and operated, and the way that capital assets are allocated. Each element is then systematically related to show how agrodiversity controls land degradation and how it promotes food security. The example of the maize-Mucuna system in South America is cited as an evident demonstration of the value of agrodiversity to both soil conservation and to smallholder farmers’ livelihoods.

Assessing the Impact of Different Land Use Activities on the Vegetation Cover and Sustainable Livelihoods along the Banks of Niles at Khartoum State, Sudan

Land use activities (LUA) have a significant impact on the level and situation of vegetation characteristics and in turn affect human population as they are considered as the main global environmental changes. This study analyzed land use patterns in three different locations in Khartoum, Sudan: banks of River Nile, Blue and White Nile. The main objective of the present study were 1) to assess the changes in land use and their impact on vegetation cover and sustainable livelihoods of the population, and 2) to identify the factors behind land use changes along the Banks of Niles, Khartoum State. The study data used were field survey (questionnaire) which revealed the existence of five types of land use patterns: roads, human settlements, agricultural and plantations farms, and industrial of brick-kilns making and investment areas. The primary data were collected through social survey (questionnaire) as face-to-face interviews with local communities in the study area and by observations. The secondary records during the field survey were collected from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Forest National Corporation (FNC) documents, scientific papers and annual reports. SPSS was used to analyze the data acquired from questionnaires. Results showed that agricultural land, and industrial and residential areas increased while forests and bare lands decreased as a result of changes imposed by the government and local population with consequent land degradation in terms of environmental value and productivity. Interestingly, it was found that the impact of land use on vegetation cover and livelihood of the population was very complex and dynamic and that the main influencing factors in this process were climate fluctuations and human illegal interference. For instance, vast areas in west bank of White Nile were changed from agriculture to residence and investment. In conclusion, land use requires a clear plan for optimum utilization. Various human activities are behind these changes, which have led to deterioration of forest cover and loss of the source of income of local population. Because of such alarming changes, decision makers should initiate efficient plans and management of forests to minimize changes in land cover, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. We recommend that a sound land use plan should be revised often to ensure rehabilitation, reduce vulnerability to desertification and halt the encroachment by construction of facilities and buildings at the expense of environmental issues.

Empowering Women on the Chars： Increasing Resilience to Disasters and Building Sustainable Livelihoods

The Chars Livelihoods Programme （CLP）＇s response has been to provide a comprehensive package of support, which aims to increase resilience to disasters and build women＇s empowerment. In 2012, CLP developed an innovative approach to monitor women＇s empowerment. Understanding that empowerment is context specific, therefore CLP used qualitative approaches to understand how char households define empowerment. From this research, CLP developed a set of 10 （community and household level） indicators, which made up the chars empowerment scorecard. Results show that CLP has a considerable impact on women＇s empowennent. They also show that CLP has impacts at both the household and community level, driven by two main factors： increased knowledge （through social development training） and increased wealth （through CLP＇s Asset Transfer Project）. Further, impacts on empowerment are seen to occur relatively quickly and sustain over time. The effects of climate change are only likely to further compound problems for char-dwellers. By increasing women＇s empowerment, CLP is confident that they will be better able to build sustainable livelihoods and increase their resilience to future disasters.

Social interactions in periodic urban markets and their contributions to sustainable livelihoods:Evidence from Ghana

Periodic markets are an important aspect of local economies,providing a platform for farmers(producers),wholesalers,retailers,and consumers to interact face-to-face and exchange goods and services.These markets have been increasing in urban areas in Africa,Asia,and South America because of urbanization.The increase of periodic urban markets(PUMs)in urban areas is observed as an index of modernization,reflecting a response to transition process.However,there are limited studies on how social interactions in PUMs contribute to sustainable livelihoods.This study investigated the types of social interactions occurring in PUMs in Ghana,the benefits of social interactions for participants of PUMs,and how social interactions contribute to sustainable livelihoods.This research interviewed 162 participants,comprising 27 farmers(farmers were regarded as producers in this study),61 retailers,47 wholesalers from 9 selected PUMs across Ghana,and 27 officers from government institutions and non-governmental market associations to obtain their opinions.We analyzed the interview data using the NVivo software.The results showed that there are seven kinds of social interactions in PUMs,including(i)producer-wholesaler relationship,(ii)producer-consumer relationship,(iii)wholesaler-retailer relationship,(iv)retailer-consumer relationship,(v)trader-driver relationship,(vi)trader-institution relationship,and(vii)trader-international buyer relationship.We found that these social interactions in PUMs enhance sustainable livelihoods by supporting human,social,financial,natural,and physical assets of traders(traders refer to producers,wholesalers,and retailers in this study).Therefore,we concluded that the development of policies to improve PUMs could strengthen social interactions,enabling the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries.

Sustainable livelihoods in a Coptis-planting based rural community:a case study in Shizhu County,China

Coptis chinensis is a medicinal herb used in traditional Chinese medicine.This research features a case study in Shizhu County,China.Participatory Rural Appraisal(PRA) is used as the main tool for data collection.The study demonstrates that the current method of Coptis planting leads to forest destruction.Even with reforestation measures,it leads to the loss of biodiversity in the forest.It also shows that farmers cannot get satisfactory economic returns from Coptis planting,as the return is unstable and unpredictable.One alternative to the current Coptis planting mode is to incorporate it into the agroforestry system.Water shield planting also serves as a good alternative to Coptis planting itself.Improved methods of management,post-harvest processing,and marketing of Coptis are also proposed and analyzed.The intended contribution of this paper to the theoretical debate of sustainability shall be the provision of an example showing how agricultural production affects forest conservation.It also presents redressable measures to the negative consequences.Besides,one alternative livelihood pathway for the rural community in this case study is suggested.

Impact of Land Acquisition on the Sustainable Livelihoods in Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam

The concept of sustainable livelihood is an attempt to go beyond the conventional definitions and approaches to poverty eradication. These had been found to be too narrow because they focused only on certain aspects or manifestations of poverty, such as low income, or did not consider other vital aspects of poverty such as vulnerability and social exclusion. It is now recognized that more attention must be paid to the various factors and processes which either constrain or enhance poor people＇s ability to make a living in an economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable manner. Construction of nuclear power plants in Vietnam is in the first step of implementing and will be allocated in Thuan Nam and Ninh Hai districts, Ninh Thuan province, an agricultural and poor province in Vietnam. This requires a large area of land mobilized, thus a part of popupation living in the project area has to move far away. Besides the positive effects of this project, there are significantly negative impacts on the people living in the project areas and nearby, and their livelihoods are seriously affected. This paper aims at assessing the impact of the nuclear power plants construction on the livelihoods of people in two districts in Ninh Thuan province, in order to have mechanisms and policies to support reasonably and effectively, contributing to stabilize people＇s lives and local development.

Sustainable Livelihood of Ecological Migrants in Qinling-Daba Mountains of Southern Shaanxi

The severe environment in Qinling-Daba Mountains has made it not suitable for the long-term residence due to the large amounts of ＂ecological migrants＂, and these migrants have moved out of the mountains and changed their economic and life styles, resulting in many problems. In this paper, the problems of ＂ecological migrants＂ were analyzed, including the education problem, different life styles, incomplete national protecting measures and policies, with the aim to provide governments with constructive suggestions for the establishment of the education and training system, acceleration of the development of industries （especially the tertiary industry, subsidiary business）, and labor transferring, increasing the incomes of ＂ecological migrants＂, and making the ＂ecological migrants＂ have the financial resources for a long time, thereby better stabilizing the ＂ecological migrants＂.

Indicator system and evaluation framework for sustainable development

An indicator system of sustainable development was established and an evaluation framework for sustainable development was drawn in this study.

SUSTAINABLE RURAL LIVELIHOOD AND ECOLOGICAL SHELTER CONSTRUCTION IN UPPER REACHES OF CHANGJIANG RIVER——Case Study of Zhaotong of Yunnan Province

Sustainable livelihood theory provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the interactions between livelihoods of peasant households and regional environment change in low-income areas. Based on field survey and 946 questionnaires from peasant household conducted in the case study area of Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, the paper has analyzed the basic characteristics of the rural livelihoods, including the asset base status, the income-generating activities, the energy consumption pattern, and the fertility behavior, in the upper reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. The micro-level findings show the conflicts among extensive agricultural development models, rural energy consumption structures heavily relying on biomass and the environment protection. The conversion of cropland to forest and grass program(CCFGP) has exerted an important influence on the livelihoods of the peasant households, but its design has given little considerations to their long-term livelihood sources, which will affect its sustainability to a great extent. From the perspective of sustainable livelihoods framework, the objectives that must be addressed in the ecological shelter construction in the upper reaches of the Changjiang River should include, first, facilitating access of peasant households to credit, technology and public services, second, encouraging the peasant households to adopt agricultural technology with environmental benefits and strengthen resources-conserving investments, and third, paying close attention to the rural energy problems and the long-term livelihood sources of the households with CCFGP. Given the weak asset base and difficulties of livelihood strategies shift, ecological shelter construction in the upper reaches of the Changjiang River will take a long time.

Earth vitality:An integrated framework for tracking Earth sustainability

The Anthropocene era is characterized by the escalating impact of human activities on the environment,as well as the increasingly complex interactions among various components of the Earth system.These factors greatly affect the Earth's evolutionary trajectory.Despite notable strides in sustainable development practices worldwide,it remains unclear to what extent we have achieved Earth sustainability.Consequently,there is a pressing need to enhance conceptual and methodological frameworks to measure sustainability progress accurately.To address this need,we developed an Earth Vitality Framework that aids in tracking the Earth sustainability progress by considering interactions between spheres,recognizing the equal relationship between humans and nature,and presenting a threshold scheme for all measures.We applied this framework at global and national scales to demonstrate its usefulness.Our findings reveal that the current Earth Vitality Index is 63.74,indicating that the Earth is in a"weak"vitality.Irrational social institutions,unsatisfactory life experiences and the poor state of the biosphere and hydrosphere have remarkably affected the Earth vitality.Additionally,inequality exists between high-income and low-income countries.Although most of the former exhibit poor human-nature interaction,all of them enjoy good human well-being,while the opposite is true for the latter.Finally,we summarize the challenges and possible options for enhancing the Earth vitality in terms of coping with spillover effects,tipping cascades,feedback,and heterogeneity.

Urbanization and Its Impacts to Food Systems and Environmental Sustainability in Urban Space: Evidence from Urban Agriculture Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Urbanisation is the key factor underpinning and catalysing changes in food systems, environmental quality, climate change and agriculture livelihoods in the overall urban ecosystem setting and its sustainability. The paper explores Dar es Salaam, a rapidly expanding city in Sub-Saharan Africa, and shows that urban agriculture provides urban ecosystem services and contributes to environmental sustainability. The interconnections of environmental justice, urban ecosystem services and climate change and variability found eminent feature that influence land governance, productivity and aesthetic value of the city. The study reaffirms the pivotal role urban agriculture which plays to enhance community health services and access to resources, with important implications on urban environmental sustainability and redistributive spatial land use planning policies and practices. The process of urbanisation, forms of urban agriculture and government strategies for enhanced urban food systems in the city economy have been highlighted. Equally, the process triggers the transformation of settlements from rural in character to modernity with an augmented land use conflicts. The results suggests that with increasing population, a clear spatial land use planning and management strategy is required to overcome the challenges and enhanced food systems and urban environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanizing cities like Dar es Salaam in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Rural households’livelihood responses to industry-based poverty alleviation as a sustainable route out of poverty

Industrialization is one way to achieve a sustainable route out of poverty.During the implementation of industry-based poverty alleviation projects,rural households’livelihood responses to change are crucial.A stronger livelihood response is conducive to multidimensional poverty relief due to industry-based poverty alleviation projects.Effective poverty alleviation can also stimulate stronger household responses.There is a positive cycle between livelihood response and multidimensional poverty relief effects that can help achieve sustainable poverty alleviation goals.Using a synergistic perspective on the relationship between“people–industry–land”,this paper explains the poverty alleviation logic connecting livelihood response,multidimensional poverty relief,and sustainable routes out of poverty by constructing a four-dimensional livelihood response measurement system with three elements of intensity.We analyzed survey data collected from 2363 households from 4 sample counties in 4 contiguous poverty-stricken areas,and measured and compared the characteristics of rural households’livelihood responses and the factors influencing poverty alleviation projects.Rural households’livelihood responses in four sample counties were moderate.The four dimensions of responses were ranked as livelihood strategy response,livelihood space response,livelihood output response,and livelihood capital response.The three intensities indicated that the perception and willingness elements of livelihood response were very similar,but there was a big gap between those elements and livelihood response actions.At the group level,poor households had higher and more consistent livelihood response than non-poor households.External environment factors(such as location,industry type,village organizational ability,and village atmosphere)and internal family factors(such as resource endowment,income sources,health,education,labor quantity,policy trust,credit availability,and social networks)had a significant impact on households’livelihood response.However,this impact varied across different dimensions and had different intensities.This paper proposes a multidimensional poverty relief mechanism and suggests sustainable routes out of poverty.

Sustainable livelihood security in Odisha, India: A district level analysis

Sustainable livelihood security(SLS) is an integrating framework that encompasses current concerns and policy requirements for ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development. It carries particular importance for developing economies. This study intends to verify the relative status of SLS of the 30 districts in Odisha, which is a backward state in eastern India. In this study, a total of 22 relevant indicators relating to the three components of SLS—ecological security, social equity, and economic efficiency have been taken, based on various kinds of government reports. The principal component analysis(PCA) was used to ascertain the indicators and the importance of each of them to the corresponding component of SLS. The ecological security index(ESI), social equity index(SEI), economic efficiency index(EEI), and composite sustainable livelihood security index(CSLSI) of each district of Odisha were calculated through the min-max normalization technique. The results revealed that there are wide variations in SLS among the districts of Odisha. In this study, the districts are categorized into four levels based on the scores of ESI, SEI, EEI, and CSLSI as very low(<0.400), low(0.400–0.549), medium(0.550–0.700), and high(>0.700). According to the classification result of CSLSI, 2 districts are found to be in the very low category, 20 districts are under the low sustainability category, 8 districts are in the medium category, and none of the districts are found to be in the high sustainability category. The district of Sambalpur ranks the highest with a CSLSI score of 0.624. The bottom five districts are Gajapati, Bolangir, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri, having the CSLSI scores of 0.438, 0.435, 0.406, 0.391, and 0.344, respectively. The result of this study suggests that region-specific, systematic, and proactive approaches are desirable for balanced development in Odisha. Further, policy intervention is required to implement more inclusive tribal welfare policies.

Contribution of Ecotourism Towards Sustainable Livelihood of the Communities Living on Wasini Island, Kwale County, Kenya

Ecotourism has traditionally been viewed as a panacea concept for developing countries to stimulate the economy, as well as, directly provide support for conservation efforts. This study examined the concept of ecotourism for a relatively sustainable, single activity within an established tourism destination of Wasini Island in Kwale County. The purpose of the study was to assess the contribution of ecotourism initiatives to the livelihoods of the local community, guided by the following objective： to assess the attitude of the local community towards ecotourism development. Descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. The target population included all ecotourism entrepreneurs, conservationists, community based organizations （CBOs）, and tour operators based in Wasini Island. Systematic random sampling was used to select 320 respondents. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires while secondary data were obtained through critical examination of public and private recorded documents related to the study. Data were analyzed using techniques which included frequencies, means, modes and percentages. Ecotourism initiatives in the study area have significantly contributed to job creation and financial empowerment to the local people. Ecotourism in the study area has contributed to the acquisition of both human （education） and physical assets owned by the local community. Environmental conservation has also been achieved through ecotourism initiatives. In the face of joblessness, residents of Wasini need to be capacitated to venture into ecotourism projects as it has the potential of improving livelihoods.

Applying Sustainability and Ethics in Forest Management and Community Livelihoods: A Case Study from Arabuko Sokoke Forest, Kenya

Efforts to manage forests continue to be enhanced equally as emergence of investments in community livelihoods whose benefits are inequitable. Lit-erature review, focus group discussion and key informant interviews showed that Arabuko Sokoke Forest has been managed under different management regimes;stakeholders have increased from singular to multiple with each stakeholder’s interests hinged on different conservation theories and ethical principles, despite that well-meaning facilitation, laws and policies, unsustainable and un-ethical scenarios abound. Extreme scenarios of a poor mother being denied firewood for lighting, warming and cooking food in order to conserve biodiversity. These are both right and wrong, a fluidity requiring situation specific sustainability and ethical justification. A discourse guided by the sustainable development goals provides a mechanism for moderating the diverse interests and helps bring harmony and synergies among all stakeholders for the common good without compromising the ecological functions of the forests thus ensuring sustainability.

Composite Sustainable Indicators Framework for Cost Assessment of Land Transport Mode in Lebanon Cities

The aim of the work performed in this paper is to present a composite indicators framework to guide sustainable transportation planning in Lebanon by assessing the sustainability marginal cost of Land Transport modes used mostly based on ICE (internal combustion engine) auto dependence. The framework covers 6 indicators of the triple bottom line of sustainability (economy, society, and environment): operating cost, energy consumption, noise exposure, congestion delay, emissions, and safety. The framework process follows an evaluation toolkit that monitors the cost implied from listed individual indicators of transport mode. Moreover, this evaluation methodology can be used to estimate to an acceptable degree the cost variation resulting from transport mode modifications within same geographical zone. This cost variance is the main interest of investors and decision makers seeking profits and successful results of their transportation planning process. A case study is executed in Lebanon GBA (Greater Beirut Area), where the annual cost of an alternative consisting of light rail transit (LRT) to passenger cars (PC) system is assessed;applying the stated methodology. Results show clearly an environmental amelioration with a reduction of 4,651,817,100 MJ of energy and 181,936 ton of CO2 emissions in addition to a saving of 255,643,035$ annually.

An Analysis of the Effectiveness Farmer Field School (FFS) Approach in Sustainable Rural Livelihood (SRL): The Experience of Punjab-Pakistan

Farmer Field School (FFS) is a capacity building approach in the Agricultural Extension Approaches (AEA), which provides opportunities to farmers of improving various skills through practicing various techniques by themselves. The review paper is in 2015 to analyze FFS as a strategy for benefiting resource poor farmers from agricultural technologies in Pakistan. Keeping in view the importance of exchange of information, FFS approach is the only approach to agriculture extension in which communication is an integral component because after trained by FFS program and to be expected to become a local agent to deliver the information and techniques of agriculture to other farmers for enhancing the agricultural production, income and improved livelihood. It can be concluded from the study that FFS proves highly beneficial to the farming community due to its capacity building functions.

Assessment of Institutional and Legal Framework for Sustainable Land Use Management Practices in Ashi River Watershed,China

Nonpoint source(NPS)pollutants resulting from land degradation(LD)have been a key influential factor on the deterioration of water quality.Consequently,sustainable land use management(SLM)practices have been employed to reduce the impacts of LD globally.However,the adoption of SLM practices is often not effective to protect water resources despite its capability of improving water quality.Empirically,evidence shows that activities of land users directly influence SLM practices and NPS pollution of water resources in watersheds,but invariably this has not been clearly understood.Understanding how SLM practices adoption could prevent NPS pollution of water resources in watershed is a necessity.Therefore,the primary aim of the investigation is to comprehend the status of SLM practices with the legal framework supporting the adoption of such practices in the Ashi River watershed.A survey instrument involving structured questionnaire was implemented to collect data.A randomly based lottery method was applied to sample information from 150 land users in two control units’communities.Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data.This research revealed that there is low adoption of SLM practices of the study site.The low adoption is due to weak capacity building and enforcement of regulations in the watershed.Occupation and age of the residents are the strongest predictors of SLM adoption rate.Residents connected with farming are more sensitive to the adoption status of SLM.It is our recommendation that policy makers should ensure capacity building,and enforcement of regulations can specifically compel farmers to adopt SLM technologies.This approach would complement other strategies to solve the NPS pollution issue of Ashi River.

Geography in the Anthropocene:Transforming our world for sustainable development

The world is changing at an accelerating pace due to increased human exploitation of the earth’s resources and the consequent climate change and biodiversity loss crises.As a transdisciplinary discipline studying the coupled human and nature systems and their interactions,Geography has natural advantages to promote sustainable development.With the aim of stimulating sustainable development in the Anthropocene,the International Geography and Sustainability Workshop 2021 was held virtually during 23-24 November 2021.This editorial briefly reviews the development history of Geography,summarizes the presentations of keynote speakers,outlines the overall research framework,and discusses the future directions by which the discipline of Geography can be harnessed to advance sustainable development.The key outcomes are as follows:(1)The research paradigms of Geography are shifting from basic knowledge acquisition to understanding of coupling patterns and processes,and to the simulation and prediction of complex human-earth systems;(2)Landscape sustainability science and the metacoupling concept are emerging as new comprehensive research perspectives,and the framework of“Pattern—Process—Service—Sustainability”can be used as a basis to underpin Geography’s role in sustainability;(3)Geography can support sustainable development in many ways,such as in agricultural development,disaster and risk monitoring and early warning,global climate change mitigation,and in helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Future research directions include:integrated geographical research on climate change and sustainable resource utilization;integrated geographical research on social and economic sustainable development;sustainable cascades of ecosystem structure,functions,services,and human well-being;metacoupling for sustainability;safe and justice space boundaries;the classification-coordination-collaboration approach;and geographical education for sustainable development.