The Poverty-Environment Nexus Study: Concepts and Approach Claude Saint-Pierre and Bjorn Larsen

So what is the poverty and environment nexus? Environmental resources and services Worsening Improving Poverty levels Persisting Decreasing

Asking the right questions about poverty and environment issues Are the poor affected by environmental degradation? Do the poor impact environmental resources? Do the poor contribute to natural resource decrease ? degradation ? preservation ? Do the poor have access to natural resources ? Are the poor more affected by natural disasters? Can natural resource preservation / rehabilitation contribute to poverty reduction ?

…continued What are the major environmental health risks facing the poor? To what extent are the poor benefiting from environmental services and programs/projects that reduce health risk? What is the role of behavior and education?

Approach in the PEN study Integration of national level analysis and field studies. Examples: Combining household poverty data and field work in affected communities with village and district UXO data in Cambodia and Lao PDR Identifying factors associated with lack of WSS using socio-economic household data combined with field surveys in two small towns Using household health survey data to assess vulnerability of the poor to environmental health risks

Why two categories of issues Why two categories of issues? 1 – Poverty and natural resource management 2 – Poverty and environmental health Categories of green issues / brown issues / blue issues are more appropriate for technical analysis

Why two categories of issues Why two categories of issues? 1 – Poverty and natural resource management 2 – Poverty and environmental health These two categories are people-centered They allow analysis of impacts

Why are Environmental health issues important for the poor? The poor tend to have: Higher risk of disease Lack of water and sanitation More frequent exposure to harmful smoke from solid fuels Higher exposure to pollution from small and medium scale industry Less access to medical services Less financial resources to pay for quality health services Less resources for ‘averting behavior’ Higher income losses from illness because they work in informal sector or are self-employed

Why are Natural resource management issues important for the poor? The poor tend to: Have livelihoods based on natural resources Have fewer livelihood alternatives Have infrastructure development needs (e.g. roads) that may impact natural resources Live in areas where they may be in competition for natural resources with industry (forestry, mining, hydropower) Live in areas with natural resources of high environmental value

Geographical analysis, an important tool of the PEN study

Geographical analysis: Main dimensions in the subregion Upland and lowland In all three countries Regions within one country E.g., in Vietnam, contrast between Northern regions and central regions Urban and rural With specific national features Ethnic minority people Often not visible in national data analysis … … but critical element of geographical dimensions

Identifying stakeholders to understand poverty-environment linkages better Changing the way we look at linkages between poverty and environment Natural resource management Environmental health

Identifying stakeholders to understand poverty-environment linkages Many stakeholder categories have a role in natural resource management and poverty and/or environmental health and poverty

The time dimension is needed to prioritize issues Today’s important issues may not be tomorrow’s But “poverty trap” areas will face issues related to environment in the longer term

Issues of increasing importance Urban development Industrial and urban pollution Agrochemicals Involvement of private sector, for example in the forestry sector International trade and environment

Issues of continuing importance Persistent poverty traps in upland areas Access to safe water and sanitation Indoor air pollution from household cooking with fuel wood and other solid fuels Flood and drought UXO contamination Need for more equitable access to environmental resources and services, Need to support community capacity and participation

Issues of declining importance Traditional shifting cultivation Markets and information are now becoming more accessible to the poor