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IUCN - The World Conservation Union

Founded in 1948 The World Conservation Union brings together States government agencies and a diverse range of non-governmental organizations in a unique world partnership over 800 members in all, spread across some 136 countries.

As a Union, IUCN seeks to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources to equitable and ecological sustainable.

The World Conservation Union builds on the strengths of its members, Networks and partners to enhance their capacity and to support global alliances to safeguard natural resources at local, regional and global levels.

The Strategies For Sustainability Programme.

The Strategies For Sustainably Program of IUCN works to strengthen strategic planning, policy and implementation skills aimed at sustainability development at global, national and local levels.

Working with networks of strategy practitioners from member governments, partner institutions and NGOs, the program assists in the conceptual development and analysis of experience of strategies, the development of a range of strategic planning and action planning skills and improved methods of assessing human and ecosystem well being. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (14)

splendid and clear introduction to the topic....
....with a wide range of cultural, technical, and historical information as context. "Paradigm shift" in the subtitle refers to the fact that techno-fixes cannot repair our relationship to nature and planet: for that new values, forms of culture, and even psychologies will be necessary. Fortunately, many experiments around the world in sustainable living offer successful examples of this. I'm using this book as part of the Certificate in Ecotherapy I'm designing for JFK University.

All about the history
All about the sustainability revolution. It's really redundant so it's easy to read. I didn't learn anything new from the book not because I know a lot about sustainability, but because it's just cold hard facts.

Sustaining a Paradigm Shift
If you are wondering what the Sustainability fad is all about, then this is a good starting point. Sustainability seems to be all around us, and shouted by every business and group (making me doubt the paradigm shift aspects), and this book explains why. One of the best features is his inclusion of a large number of examples of sustainability statements.

Whether you want to call this a primer, a survey, or a basic introduction, I found it to be an excellent starting point. It is a quick read, I am a fast reader and it took me around an hour, but there is a lot of information packed in the book, especially at the price point offered by the publisher. It is a real value.

My three criticisms. The author tries to avoid controversies. For example, for some reason, he seems to try very hard to avoid any discussion of over population, which may be the biggest problem of all in trying to achieve sustainability.

Second, again avoiding controversies, the author praises Netherlands, justifiably, but also points out that most of their land is recaptured. He never seems to address this obvious contradiction.

Third, the author emphasized education and indicates that it will be integrated throughout the book. However, I never saw any real discussion of education or psychological change.

Although I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, I was never convinced this was a real paradigm shift, not in the classic meaning of a paradigm shift. If it is, the author fails to deal with how we will change the minds and motivations of people.

A great guide on sustainability
The author did a great job on presenting an explanation of what the term sustainability means in view of general confusion or bad interpretation of its significance and its dimension.

Many companies go around announcing themselves as "green companies", just because they are entangled on a couple of environmental activities, but at the same time they continue ripping the planet, or freely disposing of their wastes, externalizing the costs to society.

At the same time, the value of this book is reinforced when it presents a list of other important organizations dedicated to make sustainability a reality, modeling what hopefully must be the modern economy.

Higly recommended.

Accademic paper presented as a book
I thought this was going to be an interesting read, but was disappointed.It reads like someone's dissertation that they reformatted into a book.Very dull and kept pushing to prove that we're in a revolution including what it takes to be technically called a revolution, etc.I only got a few chapters in and had to give it up and donate it to my local public library.Hopefully some kid doing research will be able to use it. ... Read more

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Progressing towards sustainable development raises important challenges to conducting performance evaluations in governments because there are neither generally accepted methods nor specific standards to be met at present. Sustainability Performance Evaluation System in Government, makes a conceptual contribution to public sustainability performance evaluation and develops a set of framework indicators with the help of the strategic and comprehensive approach “Sustainability Balanced Scorecard”.

As a conceptual basis for the further research and application, this volume will be of great interest to researchers and practitioners at many levels of environmental / sustainability, public management and strategic control studies. Evaluators will find methodological approaches and applied tools for their work. Decision-makers and managers will find it valuable to manage the social, economic and environmental issues in a balanced and integrated manner. Governments will also find it helpful in assisting them in establishing an evaluation system towards sustainable development.

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Customer Reviews (5)

Unfortunately the controversies and paradoxes continue. It's the economics that is missing!
I was really looking forward for this updated edition, since the previous one was published in 1999, when ecotourism was still in its infancy, and full of controversies and paradoxes.Undoubtedly this updated edition will continue to be a textbook in ecotourism courses and a key reference for scholars and practitioners, as well as of interest for travelers with a genuine interest in ecotourism by its purist definition. This second edition recounts how ecotourism went from childhood to adulthood, and unfortunately, the contradictions and paradoxes still remain.

In this edition Mrs. Honey revisits six of the seven countries profiled in the first one, the chapter on Cuba was deleted. As explained by the author, Cuba has followed a more classic Caribbean-style resort tourism rather than ecotourism, and in substitution, a new chapter on ecotourism in the US was included. Part 1 of the book presents a comprehensive overview of both the international tourism industry today, and ecotourism in particular, including new materials on certification programs and the role and support of multilateral aid institutions, such as the World Bank, IDB and USAID. Also this edition presents the latest developments regarding traveler's philanthropy and voluntarism, as part of a new trend regarding corporate social responsibility initiatives within the tourism industry led by ecotourism companies.

After going through the evidence presented in the country cases, and the excellent discussion regarding the paradoxes of ecotourism presented in the book Critical Issues in Ecotourism: understanding a complex tourism phenomenon, I was not only disappointed by the lack of evolution of the field, but also realized that the origin of the never ending contradictions and paradoxes can be found in the definition of ecotourism, which disregards the most basics principles of economics, despite the fact of being advocated as a means for sustainable economic development.The law of supply and demand is as inexorable as Newton's Law of Gravity, it works everywhere, and cannot be repealed, whether you believe in it or not.The principles behind the definition of ecotourism are based on several ideological postulates reflecting the proponent's idealistic view of the world rather than on the basis of a market segment within the tourism industry, which must considers consumer choices and preferences, price signals, externalities, economies of scale, market failures, and basic business principles such as financing and production chains.

The problem is that the whole concept of ecotourism was developed exclusively from the point of view of conservationists and environmentalists, who reject free markets, globalization, and all the other evils of capitalism. The following assertion, found in Chapter 3, leaves no doubts about the intentions of ecotourism proponents: "even as ecotourism was growing rapidly in the early 1990s, economic globalization, free trade, and privatization were proving to be strong countervailing forces to the philosophy and promise of ecotourism". One of the promises of ecotourism proponents is "that the portion of profits retained within the Third World will be substantially greater, and the environmental and social consequences will be far less, than with conventional tourism". Mrs. Honey openly asserts that globalization and free trade are "undermining the sustainability of smaller and locally owned ecotourism ventures in developing countries" as the `high concentration of new international firms in key sectors... creates market power and the potential for the abuse of dominance by large international firms". However, as documented in the book, the Tanzanian case demonstrates how foreign investment and globalization were indispensable to star up the tourism industry.

Because the definition of ecotourism is built on such moral high-grounds and in denial of market forces, the result could not be other than a divorce between pure ecotourism principles and economic and business realities. Unfortunately the number of altruist and philanthropic human beings is quite limited, thus, pure ecotourism as advocated by its proponents is rare, and not surprisingly, as reported in the book, several locales considered as islands of excellence in the first edition, today are in danger of disappearing just because of changes in ownership. Until market forces are recognized as an integral part of ecotourism activities, ecotourism will continue to be just as a market niche for a few conscientious travelers and conservationists, as according to figures presented in the book, after almost 30 years from its conception, ecotourism make up just between 5 to 13% of international visitors. Mrs. Honey blames ineffective or insufficient marketing as the probably the primary reason why worthy ecotourism ventures in developing countries failed to attract visitors. Or is it because in the free market gives consumers the power to choose? Tourism is demand driven, and clearly most international visitors are simply not interested in just educational travel as the ecotourism definition requires. As the evidence presented in the book shows, in reality there is a symbiosis between some forms of mass tourism and pure ecotourism, thus allowing pure ecotourism ventures to have financial feasibility, as they benefit from the spillover coming from mass tourism and the other activities.

Costa Rica is proof that several market segments can co-exist and grow together in a mutual beneficial symbiosis, from mass sun and beach to pure ecotourism, as a majority of international visitors end up visiting at least one national park. A similar example reported in the book is South Africa's Sun City, where gambling casinos are the magnet to attract masses of tourists, some of whom visit the nearby national park. However, Mrs. Honey repeats the same criticism she did ten years ago regarding Costa Rica's "risky two-track policy of heavily marketing its parks and ecotourism, while trying to increase visitor number by means of cruise tourism, prepaid air charter tours, large beach resorts, and urban hotels owned by international chains..."However, the statistics presented in the book show that 61% of visitors visited national parks, 66% observed flora and fauna and 77% went to the beach. This mix of products is precisely what makes Costa Rica an attractive destination and this is how it has been done for almost 25 years now, so I will call it a proven success, not a risky proposition. As recounted in the book, even real ecotourism operators and lodge/hotel owners report that international visitors increasingly demand more luxurious accommodations while their knowledge and interest in nature are increasingly casual.

Though a very desirable and noble objective, another principle of the ecotourism definition that does not match reality but instead seems wishful thinking is the assumption that ecotourism "strives to empower and benefit local residents and rural communities, meaning small-scale locally owned enterprises."Even Mrs. Honey recognizes that most communities are not up to the task, nor have access to the financial resources required for large tourism operation, assuming internal conflicts within the community are avoided. And as illustrated in several cases, conflict indeed arises, even among community members, which is unavoidable when money and profit is involved. The evidence presented in the book also shows that actually most small-enterprises and community owned businesses have problems for lack of know-how and business skills, financial resources and government support in carrying out proper marketing. In order to resolve this problem, some ecotourism scholars advocate for government intervention. However, the cases presented, mainly from Africa and the Galapagos, illustrate what a disaster government intervention has been in nature-based and ecotourism, whether due to corruption, unintended consequences, or institutional weakness.And as for government central planning, the disastrous social and economic failures of the former Soviet Union and China under Mao's regime are enough evidence that this is not an option.

Another criticism of Mrs. Honey analysis has to do with the expected community involvement. The Latin American and African contexts are completely different, not only for historical, political and cultural reasons, but mainly because most of the African parks were created under colonial rule by removing indigenous populations by force and without any compensation. Therefore, the principles of ecotourism do not fit the same in all regions, and this difference has to be taken into account.

The discussion of ecotourism in the US merits special attention by the fact that the author here applies a more relaxed definition of ecotourism which clearly does not fulfill all the principles associated with the concept, thus adding one more contradiction. The country case presents agritourism and eco-ranching as forms of pure ecotourism in the US. In the former case it includes wine tourism in Napa and Sonoma on the basis that these are family-owned wineries. The latter includes eco-lodges in cattle ranches at Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Why is this ecotourism? just because both are "efforts to preserve family-owned businesses and the land, local crops, cultural traditions, and ways of life from outside encroachment".Never mind that these are no longer pristine natural areas, but rather deforested cattle land and/or "sustainable" crop land, clearly showing that ideology comes before than consistency.

My last complain has to do with the chapter about Zanzibar which actually is just a critique of the mass tourism taken place in the island, as the discussion makes clear that the country only has a handful of real ecotourism hotels and projects. Therefore, instead of Zanzibar maybe some other more interesting country case could have been included, such as Brazil, the second largest recipient of international tourists in Latin America after Mexico (and not Costa Rica as wrongly reported in the book), or any of the Southeast Asian countries now trying to develop ecotourism.

Despite my criticism and Mrs. Honey's political bias, this edition contains very useful information for students, academics, and practitioners of ecotourism and tourism in general. And as for the controversies and paradoxes, these are not going to go away until a more realistic definition of ecotourism is introduced, coherent with basic principles of free market economics and the way businesses operate in the real world. For a detailed and comprehensive discussion on these controversies and paradoxes from the point of view of several schools of thought read Critical Issues in Ecotourism: understanding a complex tourism phenomenon.

Worth reading for those who like to travel but are also concerned for the places they visit or plan to visit
Visiting new places can be quite the experience, but one must consider the environmental impacts of tourism. Now in a newly revised, updated, and expanded second edition, "Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise?" is an informed and informative look at 'ecotourism', the concept of tourists being respectful to the environments they visit. Honey goes over her concepts defining her more complex definition of ecotourism and outlining many important environments such as the Galapagos, South Africa, Costa Rica, and many others. "Ecotourism and Sustainable Development" is worth reading for those who like to travel but are also concerned for the places they visit or plan to visit.

Ecotourism and Sustainable Development:Who Owns Paradise?
Since it was first published nine years ago, Martha Honey's Ecotourism and Sustainable Development has become an indispensible resource for students, researchers, and professionals working in conservation and sustainable development.Now, an updated version has just come out, similar to its predecessor, but 100 pages longer.

With many years of experience as an investigative journalist, Honey knows how to hunt down and interrogate a wide range of sources, ask difficult questions, formulate independent opinions, and provide cogent critiques.None of this has changed in the new edition.What has changed is her conviction that ecotourism, while not a panacea, can indeed support conservation of nature and culture, social and economic development, and equitable democratic societies.

Following the same format as earlier, she begins with a comprehensive definition of ecotourism; a critical description of all the players in the tourism industry - especially those engaged in ecotourism; and an examination of the many issues and challenges facing the industry today.Most interesting and valuable, both for readers of the first edition and those new to the field, are the discussions of recently emerging ecotourism concepts, tools and issues.

The second part of the book offers case studies of seven countries (or smaller destinations), each with fascinating examples of how the government, private tour operators, national parks, communities, indigenous and/or marginalized peoples and international entities interact in the name of ecotourism.Probably most interesting for many North American readers, is addition of a chapter on ecotourism in the United States.

As its predecessor, Honey's book is highly engaging and full of provocative questions and challenges.As answers are found, the fields of ecotourism and sustainable development, as well as people, habitats and cultures around the world, are sure to benefit.

Authoritative
Dr. Honey has composed another authoritative book on this critical topic, and I highly recommend it for anyone seeking to learn more about the impacts of one of the largest industries in the world.For those of us already working to minimize the negative impacts of the tourism industry, this second edition will bring you fully up to speed on the many developments in this dynamic field.

There is a lot of hearsay out there when it comes to ecotourism, the environment and communities, but Dr. Honey's writing is clearly well researched and truly authoritative.

THE book for understanding ecotourism
Ecotourism has been promoted as a mechanism to solve the world's environmental problems and social issues. It is marketed as a salve for the bruised consciences of carbon-spewing but sensitive travelers. But, at times, the label is used by lodges, tours and companies that are camouflaging their tourism-as-usual approach.

Martha Honey, a former investigative reporter who lived for 20 years in developing countries, researched the realities of ecotourism and wrote the definitive book on the topic. Originally released in 1999 by Island Press, Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? provided readers with a clear understanding of what ecotourism can contribute to conservation, communities and economies. In addition, the book was also a guide to enticing lodges and fascinating places that a conscientious global citizen might want to visit and support.

The second edition of Honey's book has just been released by Island Press and will be a welcome addition to the library of any thoughtful traveler. Part history and part guidebook like the first edition, this new version covers the major changes in the travel industry as ecotourism has become part of the mainstream vernacular. Honey's fine writing covers the evolution and definition of ecotourism in an accessible fashion in addition to giving up-to-the-minute information about selected destinations in seven locales around the world.

This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the intersection between tourism, conservation, social justice and sustainable economies.

Sandra Tassel
Look at the Land Inc
Conservation Consultants
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Argues that environmental problems need to be looked at internationally, in terms of the global economic system, and that the degradation of the environment is not 'natural', but an historical process linked to economics and politics. ... Read more

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It is crucial that engineers — from students to those already practising — have a deep understanding of the environmental threats facing the world, if they are to become part of the solution and not the problem. Is there a way to reconcile modern lifestyles with the compelling need for change? Could new improved technologies play a key role? If great leaps in the environmental efficiency of technologies are needed, can they be produced? Engineers are in a privileged and hugely influential position to innovate, design and build a sustainable future. But are they engaged or uninterested? Are they knowledgeable or ignorant?

This book has been developed by a number of committed educators in European engineering departments under the leadership of Delft University of Technology and the Technical University of Catalunya to meet the perceived gap between what engineers know and what they should know in relation to sustainable development. The University of Delft decided as long ago as 1998 that all of its engineering graduates, working towards careers as designers, managers or researchers, should be prepared for the challenge of sustainable development and, as such, should leave university able to make sustainable development operational in their designs and daily practices. The huge amount of knowledge gathered on best-practice teaching for engineers is reflected in this book.

The aim is to give engineering students a grounding in the challenge that sustainable development poses to the engineering profession, the contribution the engineer can make to attaining some of the societal and environmental goals of sustainability, and the barriers and pitfalls engineers will likely need to confront in their professional lives.

Concise but comprehensive, the book examines the key tools, skills and techniques that can be used in engineering design and management to ensure that whole-life costs and impacts of engineering schemes are addressed at every stage of planning, implementation and disposal. The book also aims to demonstrate through real-life examples the tangible benefits that have already been achieved in many engineering projects, and to highlight how real improvements can be, and are being, made. Each chapter ends with a series of questions and exercises for the student to undertake.

Sustainable Development for Engineers will be essential reading for all engineers and scientists concerned with sustainable development. In particular, it provides key reading and learning materials for undergraduate and postgraduate students reading environmental, chemical, civil or mechanical engineering, manufacturing and design, environmental science, green chemistry and environmental management. ... Read more

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(Earthscan) A comprehensive collection of recent work by leading authors in business and sustainable development. Organized into thematic sections of relevant topics, including business opportunities, trade and sustainable development, and critical perspectives. Softcover, hardcover also available. DLC: Industrial management--Environmental aspects. ... Read more

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Implementing Sustainable Development focuses on the challenge of turning international commitments and policy promises into action. Using examples and cases from around the U.S. and around the world, it examines the successful and failed efforts designed to address the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainable development. Based on broad research that started before the Earth Summit, Implementing Sustainable Development offers a practical and useful approach to identifying and addressing policy implementation challenges. ... Read more

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Sustainable development is notoriously difficult to grasp for students and professionals. Multidimensional, encompassing social, ecological and economic theories, policies and practice, it can be a maze of complexity and contradiction.

This powerful textbook, by a topic instructor in the field, is the first to unravel sustainable development and provide readers with a deep understanding so often missing from other texts. The book adopts a multi-perspective approach designed specifically to allow access to the topic from a wide range of educational and professional backgrounds and to develop understanding of a diversity of approaches and traditions at different levels. It features multiple entry points, explains jargon and explores controversies. It also provides wide-ranging boxed examples from the local to the global, extra readings and online material for course leaders, motivated students and self-learners.
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Building on the success of its first edition, the second edition of the Sustainable Urban Development Reader expands its selection of classic material on sustainable community development. As in the previous edition, it begins by tracing the roots of the sustainable development concept in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, before presenting classic readings on a number of dimensions of the sustainability concept.

Topics covered include land use and urban design, transportation, ecological planning and restoration, energy and materials use, economic development, social and environmental justice, and green architecture and building. All sections have a concise editorial introduction that places the selection in context and suggests further reading. Additional sections cover tools for sustainable development, sustainable development internationally, visions of sustainable community and case studies from around the world. The book also includes educational exercises for individuals, university classes, or community groups, and an extensive list of recommended readings.

The anthology remains unique in presenting a broad array of classic readings in this field, each with a concise introduction placing it within the context of this evolving discourse. It includes updated material on:

• global warming
• issues in less developed countries
• ecotourism
• prospects for sustainable development in China
• megacities
• case studies of sustainable development.

The Sustainable Urban Development Reader presents an authoritative overview of the field using original sources in a highly readable format for university classes in urban studies, environmental studies, the social sciences, and related fields. It also makes a wide range of sustainable urban planning-related material available to the public in a clear and accessible way, forming an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the future of urban environments.

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Readings
The Sustainable Urban Development Reader includes a number of seminary writings by some of the foremost thinkers in sustainable urbanism, including Timothy Beatley and William McDonough. Even though "sustainable" and "green urbanism" are trendy hot topics, the readings in this book form the foundation of each field and become increasingly relevant over time. ... Read more

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The most comprehensive textbook ever written on sustainable development, pilot-tested worldwide. Coverage includes: background to sustainabledevelopment and global environmental issues; measurement and sustainability indicators; environmental assessment, management and policy; approaches and linkages to poverty reduction; impacts and infrastructure development; economics, consumption, production and market failures; governance; participation; disaster management; international financial institutions; international environmental agreements and the role of civil society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A biased book
Firstly, I'll start from positive side. This book is very helpful resource for many numbers and events. Moreover, it is organized (divided into subtitles and sentences are bulleted), but I always lost track along with those many bullets. Some chapters are not really bad. At least I thought that if I need some dates or names of organization, events, I learnt where I can find them easily (but Google is much easier, in fact). That's all my positive words.

Now the negative points:
Firstly keep in mind that that's introduction. It'll introduce you a lot of concepts which may familiar to you (mainly you feel that you are reading your old diary). Then it won't suggest any solution. From the reader's point of view, this book is totally written from the economist's view therefore overlooked some points regarding environment and failed to mention that environment is part of the sustainable development. Some information is a bit odd. I mean the mentioned standards in this book are not practiced in real-life. Moreover, most of examples biased towards favor of World Bank and other financial international organizations.

Overall, this book poorly helped me to understand better about sustainable development due to its simplicity and bias, although I should mention that some (comparatively a few) ideas mentioned through the book were worth to read. ... Read more