Environmental sustainability and poverty eradication in developing countries

Abstract

Land use change in developing countries is critically bound up with their pattern of economic development. Most of these economies, and certainly the majority of the populations living within them, depend directly on natural resources. Primary product exports account for the vast majority of the export earnings of many developing economies, and one or two primary commodities make up the bulk of exports (Barbier 2005: Chapter 1). Agricultural value added accounts for an average of 40 percent of GDP, and nearly 80 percent of the labor force is engaged in agricultural or resourcebased activities (World Bank 2008). Further adding to these disparities, by 2025, the rural population of the developing world will have increased to almost 3.2 billion, placing increasing pressure on a declining resource base (United Nations Population Division 2008).