Sustainable livelihoods, environment and development: putting poor rural people first

Abstract

Many processes of change involving population, resources, environment and development are not sustainable.In seeing what tc do, normal professionalism and 'first' thinking are part of the problem.The Brundtland Commission made progress in moving priorities towards the poor, but did not go far enough.Its concept of secure and sustainable livelihoods for the very poor and poor is, however, powerful, implying conditions for lower population growth, less distress migration, more resistance by the poor to exploitation by the rich, and more sustainable resource management.Developing this approach, the thinking of professionals about environment and development and that of poor people about livelihoods can be combined as sustainable livelihood thinking (SLT).The potential for applying SLT in resource-poor environments has been underestimated.Analytical implications include the concept of sustainable livelihood-intensity. Practical implications include secure rights for the poor to use and sell assets, and a new professionalism which starts not with things, but with people, putting first those who are poorer.This paper combines and develops two earlier papers: 'Sustainable Livelihood Thinking: an approach to poverty, environment and development', 15 June 198S version of a paper for the Conference on Conservation and Development -Implementing the World Conservation Strategy, held in Ottawa, Canada,

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