Natural Resource Management For Sustainable Development In The Caribbean

At the International Earth Summit convened in Rio de Janeiro in 1994, all nations of the world were mandated to protect the environment for the benefit of present and future generations. This collection introduces the reader to the major issues involved in the management of a number of resources critical to Caribbean development. The chapters discuss the sustainability of water, fisheries and agriculture in the region from a variety of perspectives. Particular emphasis is also given to the use of energy, recreation and coastal resource management and their impact on the fragile ecosystem. The book makes a contribution to the ongoing debate of sustainable environmental management within the region and the world.

This document contains the conference papers which aimed to design appropriate incentives or disincentives to encourage sustainable development for three key areas: policy-enabling measures, price change policies, and policies directed at the needs of the resource user in Caribbean countries. Papers also cover ideas which would enable these countries to cope with, and respond to, international pressures which are limiting their capacity to design, implement, and regulate sustainable development. These pressures affect policies which concern international agencies and institutions regarding such issues as terms of trade, debt financing, and policing the unsustainable practices of multinational corporations, and other countries.

This volume reports on contemporary research by geographers and others into resource management and planning issues in the Caribbean region. The common theme is the search for developmental strategies that focus on social and economic needs without further deterioration of the resource base.

This manual provides an overview of the main issues relating to women and natural resource management in the Caribbean region. It aims to provide trainers and extension workers with skills and techniques to train and involve women in conservation activities. It acknowledges the valuable indigenous knowledge which women in the Caribbean posses, and emphasizes that women themselves must be involved in the identification of their needs. It also present case studies of women successfully promoting environmental and sustainable development in the region.

Special edition for the Mauritius International Meeting for the 10-year Review of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

This title challenges national inadequacies in formal policy and support of environmental management, resulting in ad hoc practices by NGOs and individuals.

Since the economic decline in the early 1980s, most countries in Central America and the Caribbean have returned to positive growth rates. The recovery often coincided with or followed extensive neoliberal reforms. The contributors to this book address the crucial question of whether these growth rates are sustainable. Several aspects of sustainability are assessed, in particular macroeconomic, social, and ecological aspects. The book includes both comparative analyses focusing on one of these aspects of sustainability, and country case studies. The conclusion is that these countries have not yet arrived at a sustainable growth path due to, for example, high levels of foreign and domestic debt, worrisome trade gaps, a lack of social integration and irresponsible exploitation of natural resources. In sum, the analysis points to serious weaknesses in the current neoliberal model, the implications of which go far beyond this particular region.

Illustrated by case studies from both smaller nations - such as Carriacou, Barbados and St Lucia - and larger countries - including Cuba, Mexico and Jamaica - this volume brings together leading writers on environmental planning in the Caribbean to provide an interdisciplinary contemporary critical overview. They argue that context is central to the practice of environmental planning in this region. Rather than focusing on a deterministic colonial geography and history, the contributors propose that, whilst a wide range of foreign planning influences can be felt in different contexts, environmental planning emerges in specific settings, through the fluid interaction between local and global relations of power. A number of chapters explore the effects of external discourses upon the region, while others examine discourses on Western-style democracy and tourism. Other important themes covered include participatory planning, urban planning, physical development planning, pest management, sustainable development, water pollution, conservation and ecotourism.