Publications

Water is a relatively ungoverned resource in Guatemala. No centralized governing body or legislation exists to manage water, and many rural communities believe the government is ignoring the fact that their freshwater resources are stolen and poisoned by special interests. Commercial plantations, mining operations, and hydropower projects generally have priority access to freshwater resources, jeopardizing rural livelihoods. Rural populations already enduring systematic exclusion are left even more vulnerable and poor, and some are responding by organizing, protesting, or migrating. Water management is the key to addressing many problems in Guatemala and in Central America. Eduardo Stein, the country‚'s former vice president, has said, "Water security can be a privileged means for promoting democratic governance, strengthening food security and environmental resilience, and reducing agricultural and energy risks. Moreover, water governance and management must be considered fundamental elements of a security strategy."

The region at the base of the Himalayas faces difficult tradeoffs when allocating freshwater resources for energy production versus agricultural, industrial, and domestic uses. This is one of the most ecologically unstable areas on Earth, and weather patterns are becoming increasingly irregular. On one end of the spectrum, water shortages frequently disrupt energy production, which depends largely on water-intensive coal and hydropower plants. The opposite extreme is also a factor: Dozens of hydropower plants in the Himalayas have been damaged or destroyed by severe floods caused by unusually heavy rainfall in recent years. Construction of new power plants faces increasing resistance from local communities, resulting in social disruptions and instability. In order to ensure both energy security and water security for their countries, governments must look beyond hydropower and coal.

Pakistan currently faces a water security crisis with serious social and economic repercussions. Water shortages are causing social unrest in Karachi and elsewhere, making governance increasingly difficult. Economic growth is limited because water resources are insufficient to supply competing sectors. Water is also a source of transboundary conflict with India, which controls the flow of the Indus River into Pakistan. All of these conditions serve to destabilize Pakistan and to provide fertile ground for insurgency. This chapter considers some of the root causes of water insecurity in Pakistan: poor groundwater management and monitoring; overreliance on dams as the sole water management solution; and lack of control over riparian freshwater sources. The authors propose a comprehensive groundwater policy, soft engineering solutions like wetlands as natural flood buffers, and reopening conversations about the terms of the Indus Basin Water Treaty as first steps toward improving Pakistan’s water security.

The Philippines faces a breadth of social and environmental challenges that threaten its economic and political stability. A long history of violent conflict stemming from ethnic, religious, and political tensions is further complicated by changing weather patterns that cause severe drought and damaging storms. Millions of people in Mindanao have been displaced by violence and extreme weather events, and their migration from rural areas leaves room for the expansion of terrorist groups that threaten regional stability. The United States currently has strong trade and cultural ties to the Philippines, and U.S. Pacific Command operates military facilities on the islands. This chapter examines the stakes for U.S. interests in Mindanao, and recommends a security approach that combines defense, diplomacy, and development efforts to promote improved governance, social stability, and climate resilience.

Following China’s announcement late last year of a domestic ivory trade ban by the end of 2017, TRAFFIC and WWF surveys have found that the number of ivory items offered for sale—in both legal and illegal ivory markets in China—has declined alongside falling ivory prices.

Earlier this year, TRAFFIC and WWF researchers undertook a series of surveys of physical and online markets to assess their status after announcement of the incoming domestic ivory ban in China and the effectiveness of subsequent regulatory measures. The findings are now published in TRAFFIC and WWF’s new report Revisiting China’s ivory market in 2017.

A new trade study led by TRAFFIC, with support from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), has established a baseline for the status of the US elephant ivory market around the time that a series of changes to federal regulations were imposed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The study documents the availability, quantity, and price of elephant ivory offered by US-based sellers and includes recommendations directed at US law enforcement agencies to improve regulation of the domestic ivory trade, and to US e-commerce companies and other retailers in an effort to increase knowledge and adherence to relevant state and federal legislation.  

The expansion of food production has involved many more ecosystem impacts than deforestation, and we must learn more about the impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems beyond tropical forests. The goal of this topic is to present a system of "arcs" – how food production is impacting a range of critical habitats that must be examined for protective and mitigation action. The primary arcs discussed are& soils, groundwater, freshwater systems, temperate and tropical grasslands, tropical dry forests, and the ocean floor.

Learn about other issues investigated by the Markets Institute.

Post-disaster recovery and reconstruction can cause many adverse environmental impacts. This guide outlines ways in which they can be avoided in Nepal, and good practices can be promoted, in order to reduce future disaster risk and ensure long-term livelihoods and well-being for local people. The guide covers settlements and land use planning; building construction; waste management; energy; infrastructure; water, sanitation and hygiene; agriculture and livelihoods; and education. It highlights flood risk management, landslide prevention and treatment, and management of forests after disasters, with climate change, and gender equality and social inclusion as cross-cutting themes. The guide is written for government and non-government organization staff working in development, humanitarian and environmental fields; policy makers; the private sector; academics; and donor agency staff. While it is intended primarily for a Nepal audience, there are many results and lessons that are valuable for other countries.

A large-scale hydropower dam planned for Selous Game Reserve World Heritage site puts protected areas of global importance - as well as the livelihoods of over 200,000 people who depend upon the environment - at risk, reveals independent research commissioned by WWF.

Released today, the research says that the dam would have direct impacts on the UNESCO site’s core environmental value and tourism. It reveals that the knock-on effects of the dam in Steigler’s Gorge, in the heart of the Selous Game Reserve, also risk damaging a wetland of international importance: the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Marine Ramsar Site. The potential impacts on this site would directly affect communities that depend on fishing, and other livelihoods connected to it.

The Belize Barrier Reef is the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, second in size globally only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS) was the first marine World Heritage site in the Caribbean region when inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. It is home to almost 1,400 species of flora and fauna, a complex of reef, mangrove and seagrass ecosystems, and over 300 cayes. These ecosystems are treasured by the Belizean populace for their economic and socio-cultural values.

The aim of this scorecard is to assess how the Belizean government is currently performing in protecting the reef and to provide some recommendations in the lead-up to the WHC in July 2017 and beyond. We will use this scorecard to track future policies and actions by the Belizean government.