Communities, conservation and livelihoods

Abstract

In most places around the world, people are an integral, sometimes dominant, part of the environment. This has two implications. First, a key requirement for sustainability success lies in finding ways to meet the dual goals of conserving nature and providing for the well-being and quality of life of people. Second, while conservation and stewardship certainly require considering the problems created by human impacts, they can also draw on the considerable potential of humans to solve a range of environmental challenges. Global sustainability requires corresponding responses at a global level. Equally, there is a need for bottom-up change. Indeed, there is much that can be done, and is being done, at the local level. This book explores how local communities around the world are successfully responding to threats to the environment and local livelihoods. As communities continue to make a difference at the forefront of conservation, it is an auspicious moment to explore the links of community environmental stewardship, sustainable livelihoods and government engagement, and to appreciate the ‘power of community’.