Conservation and rural development: Towards an integrated approach

The overall goal of rural development programmes should be the reduction of poverty, unemployment, malnutrition and inequity, and an integral part of all these programmes is the introduction of a positive rural landuse strategy, which recognizes the prime importance of food production, but at the same time safeguards soil and representative areas of natural ecosystems. The goal of theWorld Conservation Strategy is the integration of conservation and development so that we may all have a way of life which is sustainable. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain legitimate human demands because high rates of human population growth, coupled with a high rate of world economic growth are threatening the four basic biological systems that support the global economy, the grasslands, fisheries, croplands and forests.

This paper gives an outline of how these systems are threatened, with emphasis on the relationship between rural development, as defined by theWorld Conservation Strategy, conservation and environmental degradation. The importance of determining felt needs and aspirations in designing both conservation and rural development activities is discussed, with particular reference to the advantages and disadvantages of traditional life-styles.