Communities, Livelihoods, and Natural Resources: Action Research and Policy Change in Asia

This book synthesizes results from a 7-year program of applied research on community-based approaches to natural resource management in Asia. By presenting field reports of innovative approaches to poverty reduction and sustainable resource use, it provides practitioners with models of "good practice" in participatory, community-based resource management, and it demonstrates how site-based research contributes to broader learning in the field of natural resource management and policy.

There are eleven case studies featured, from some of the most marginal areas of rural China, Mongolia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Bhutan. The cases (each one authored by local researchers) illustrate practical innovations to strengthen livelihoods through improved collective resource management practices and broader technology choices. These experiences point to changes in well-being and empowerment for the rural poor.