Brings attention to recent environmental policy documents which have been released in China such as China’s Agenda 21 which is a white paper outlining policies to achieve sustainable developing in China. Another important recent document is China: Biodiversity Conservation Plan. It identifies...

The State Council has adopted Agenda 21 for China and biodiversity conservation as one plank of this agenda for China's sustainable development. This paper offers a brief discussion of China's White Paper on Agenda 21 and examines as a case study the problem of sustaining biological diversity in...

Tourism is growing rapidly in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture located in southern Yunnan. Tourism is now regarded as a leading industry in the development of this Prefecture. This paper outlines the nature and pattern of development of tourism in Xishuangbanna Prefecture. Features of...

Ecological, evolutionary and economic issues involved in introducing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), mainly in agriculture, are discussed. The ecological and evolutionary impacts identified hamper (economic) valuation of GMOs and their biosafety regulation and creates difficulties for...

In the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), ecologists identified and pointed out a multitude of environmental and other benefits obtained by human-beings from ecosystem services. Frequently, these benefits are not fully recognized and they are not adequately taken into account in...

After touching on the concerns of natural scientists about biodiversity loss, this article argues that it is a mistake to believe that there are only losses of biodiversity. The process of changes in the stock of biodiversity is more complex. Furthermore, it is pointed out that not all genetic...

The most widely accepted view of sustainable economic development is that it is economic development ensuring that each succeeding generation is no less well off than its predecessor. This mainstream approach, however, has several limitations. It can, for example, result in a development path...

Much faith has been put in the increased supply of education as a means to promote national economic development and as a way to assist the poor and the disadvantaged. However, the benefits that nations can obtain by increasing the level of education of their workforce depends on the...

The United Nations’ Millennium Declaration, passed by the General Assembly in September 2000, is assessed with particular attention being given to the Millennium Development Goals and associated targets outlined in the Declaration. The focus of the article is not so much on the extent to which...

This article explores the socio-economic situation of female heads and poor heads of household in rural Botswana by means of a case study of the village of Nshakazhogwe, a village considered to be typical for rural east Botswana. It examines the extent to which the occurrence of poverty of...