The Marginal Poor and Their Dependence on Ecosystem Services: Evidence from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

In this chapter the authors employ a meta-study to explore why it is critical to address the degradation of ecosystems for poverty alleviation, especially in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors also investigate the linkages between ecosystem services and aspects of extreme poverty. Their fi ndings suggest that the poor are often more vulnerable to the loss of ecosystem function that restricts the supply of natural goods and services. The poor depend upon ecosystem services, but the nature of this dependence is necessarily not uniform throughout the year. The poor also tend to benefi t less from environmental conservation efforts than those who are not poor. The dynamic patterns of dependence on ecosystem services of the poor and their coping strategies require regionally specifi c and in-depth evaluation.

Predicting potential distribution of poorly known species with small database: the case of four‐horned antelopeTetracerus quadricornison the Indian subcontinent

“…As humans dominate the landscape (Persha et al. ; Kumar and Yashiro ), FHA populations throughout the subcontinent may be exposed to intensive human land use. In particular, the isolated Nepalese FHA population might be at high risk of extinction because of its small distribution range and population size (Johnson ; Krishna et al.…”

“…Thus, the Gangetic Plain which is known as "bread basket" of South Asia (Aggarwal et al 2004) represents a geographic barrier for the dispersion of FHA between the Terai Arc and the range in India. As humans dominate the landscape (Persha et al 2010;Kumar and Yashiro 2014), FHA populations throughout the subcontinent may be exposed to intensive human land use. In particular, the isolated Nepalese FHA population might be at high risk of extinction because of its small distribution range and population size (Johnson 1998;Krishna et al 2009).…”

Tree phylogenetic diversity supports nature’s contributions to people, but is at risk from human population growth

“…However, many of these services are being degraded through habitat loss and transformation, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, agricultural expansion, ‘land grabbing’ by foreign nations for food and biofuel production, and climate change (Egoh et al 2012; Malherbe et al 2019). The poor, and rural communities, tend to be most impacted by losses of ecosystem services as they frequently lack alternatives (Hope Sr 2007; United Nation Economic Commission for Africa 2010; Egoh et al 2012; Kumar & Yashiro 2014), while poverty is a major underlying contributor to environmental degradation (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987; Olanipekun et al 2019), although the relationship is complex (Barbier & Hochard 2018).…”

Diversified Urbanization: The Case of Côte d'Ivoire

“…Pollution threatens species loss in protected forest areas and destruction of fragile mangrove habitats. 2 Mangrove habitats are often the source of ecosystem services and resilience to natural disasters such as flooding, and their destruction is likely to hit the poorest hardest because the poor are most reliant on those ecosystem services and vulnerable to risks of disasters (Kumar and Yashiro 2014). Pollution is also an important factor in the decline of renewable internal freshwater sources 3 and the dramatic decrease of dissolved oxygen and hydrogen sulfide enrichment in water bodies near urban areas, such as Bietri Bay (Hayé et al 2009).…”