Sustainable Livelihoods, Environmental Security and Conflict Mitigation in South Asia Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan Partners          Start date 2002 End date unknown   * CEESP, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy * International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) * Regional Environmental Law Programme, Asia (RELP) * Vasundhara Funder * U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office * Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation * IUCN- The World Conservation Union * Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) Contacts * Ms. Patti Moore, IUCN Regional Environmental Law Programme, Asia pmoore@iucnt.org Purpose To demonstrate the links between resource rights, livelihood security and environmental security and draw policy conclusions. The project asks: what is the effect on security when communities have no rights or only “soft” rights to the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend?

	Lessons:
	Livelihoods Security in South Asia Project Website HTML
	Sustainable Livelihoods, Environmental Security and Conflict Mitigation Project Background HTML
	Inception Workshop Report, July 2003, Nepal HTML Outlines the key research questions, some conceptual issues and consolidated research outlines.
	Interactive Seminar on Environmental Security, July 2003, Kathmandu, Nepal HTML Report of half day seminar on environmental mainstreaming, governance and conflict mitigation
	Background Documents
	Conserving the Peace: Resources, Livelihoods and Security PDF (2MB) A collection of case studies illustrating the relationships among security, the environment and human well-being. This is based on a previous CEESP project, from which this new project has drawn its areas of focus.

Use of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches

Natural resource-dependent individuals and communities become marginalized because they either have no rights to the resources on which they are dependent - or no feasible way to exercise the rights they do have. Clashes between traditional and contemporary systems of property rights are often at the root of livelihood and environmental insecurity. The most vulnerable communities are invariably the poorest and most marginalized, for whom alternatives are non-existent or come at an exorbitant cost. The regions affected by these conditions are where environmental insecurity is most likely to lead to conflict. Water and forests are considered among the primary sources of environmental insecurity in South Asia.

Key questions to be addressed in country studies of this project are as follows:

• What livelihoods are practiced, and on what natural resources are these dependent?
• How is access to natural resources (resource rights) structured in each case?
• What are the problems/conflicts that arise with resource rights, and what are their implications for human security?
• Theoretically, what structures and processes would resolve these problems/conflicts?
• Practically, what steps need to be taken to achieve this resolution?

Key principles for the country studies reflect the SL principles:

• Perspective: country studies should focus on the needs and perspectives of the poor, rather than the state
• Institutions: formal/legal vs. operational
• Insecurity vs. security
• Livelihood dynamics: adaptation/coping strategies, managing natural resources vs. predatory behavior vs. survival behavior
• Impact of markets

It is hoped that the project results will contribute to national and sub-regional policy processes by providing data and conclusions that can be used by policy and lawmakers, implementers, and civil society. This project aims to provide key policy inputs to the international donor community for poverty alleviation programs.