This paper describes the challenges surrounding current and future water use in the tropical Andes by first reviewing the modern and future projected hydrological cycle and anticipated impacts on environmental services provided by glaciers and wetland vegetation. The discussion then elaborates...

The key question the research in this paper tries to answer is whether those four activities truly represent a viable economic alternative in Latin America's environmentally fragile hinterlands. Several cases in each line of activity are analyzed to determine the level and distribution of the...

This document presents a coastal and marine resources management strategy for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The strategy provides new directions for Bank activities which significantly affect sustainable development of coastal and marine areas in Latin America and the Caribbean....

The Environment and Safeguards Group (ESG) of the IDB has examined how potential environmental and social risks of major Bank-supported road improvement investments in natural resource rich and socio-culturally diverse "frontier" regions have been identified and addressed in various parts of...

The Environment and Safeguards Group (ESG) of the IDB has examined how potential environmental and social risks of major Bank-supported road improvement investments in natural resource rich and socio-culturally diverse "frontier" regions have been identified and addressed in various parts of...

This paper explores options to minimize threats posed to IDB-financed physical investments by the impacts of climate change. A large proportion of projects are implemented in climate-sensitive sectors (e.g., agriculture, water resources, and transport). In these cases, the norm is to consider...

Bank investments in tourism and other coastal development projects have been on the rise, generating an interest in the development of instruments and tools that would more effectively inform Bank staff on critical issues, and support the management of the environmental and social risks of the...

Development projects have a wider set of impacts than just direct project outputs. A hydropower dam, for example, produces electricity but also disrupts river flows and may affect biodiversity and the general aquatic environment. A new port development may affect coastal resources such as...

This study includes an overview of financing and financial instruments for sustainable forestry and in particular the roles of the public and private sectors in financing. The study also discusses the role of the IDB financing in forestry, their mandate and comparative advantages and measures to...

The Environment and Safeguards Group (ESG) of the IDB has examined how potential environmental and social risks of major Bank-supported road improvement investments in natural resource rich and socio-culturally diverse "frontier" regions have been identified and addressed in various parts of...