Population, Development, and the Environment

This book takes the reader into some of the most intransigent social, economic and political issues impacting on achieving sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Through meticulous analysis of the integrated relationships between population, development and the environment, the chapters in this volume investigate the impacts of hydropower development on fragile ecosystems; mining, landslides and environmental degradation; deforestation; water and food security; rural-urban migration, poverty alleviation, civil society and community empowerment; and how disaster recovery requires multi-scalar, multi-disciplinary approaches which take into account governance, culture and leadership. Legal frameworks may be mandated, but often rarely implemented. The book will be valuable to students of sustainability, population and development, and governmental policy advising sectors as well as the NGO and humanitarian sectors. The distinctive characteristics of this book are that it encapsulates an integrated, multi-disciplinary focus which brings to the discussion both robust empirical research and challenging policy applications in the investigation of how the sustainable development goals may be achieved in Asia and the Pacific.