Population, Development, and the Environment: Challenges to Achieving the

This book takes the reader into some of the most intransigent social, economic, and political issues that impact achieving sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Through meticulous analysis of the integrated relationships between population, development, and the environment, the chapters in this volume investigate the impacts of hydropower development on fragile ecosystems; mining, landslides and environmental degradation; deforestation; water and food security; rural-urban migration, poverty alleviation, civil society and community empowerment; and how disaster recovery requires multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary approaches that take into account governance, culture, and leadership. Legal frameworks may be legislated, but are often rarely implemented.

The book will be valuable to students of sustainability, population and development, and governmental policy advising sectors as well as the NGO and humanitarian sectors. The distinctive characteristic of this book is that it encapsulates an integrated, multi-disciplinary focus which brings to the discussion both robust empirical research and challenging policy applications in the investigation of how the sustainable development goals may be achieved in Asia and the Pacific.

Helen James researches Asian disasters, Risk, Resilience and Reconstruction, civil society, governance, health, education, poverty alleviation and sustainable development in Southeast Asia with special attention to the political anthropology of religion, non-violence and state/civil society relations; health and social inclusion/exclusion, international development, gender and health, citizenship, human rights and human security, interfaith dialogue and transnational history.

1 Introduction: The Dynamics of Sustainability and Environmental Governance in the Asia Pacific

2 The Nexus Between Population, Development and the Environment: Critical to Determining Quality of Life on Earth

3 Nature Conservation and Its Bedfellows: The Politics of Preserving Nature

4 Food, Agriculture and Small Farmers in Asia

5 Trade-Offs Between Hydropower Development and Food Security in River Management

6 Impacts of Flood and Riverbank Erosion on Human Livelihoods: A Case Study of Some Riverside Villages in the Lower Ayeyarwady

7 Social Capital, Adaptation and Resilience: Case Studies of Rural Communities in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Myanmar

8 Rural-Urban Interaction in Rural Development of Peri-Urban Areas in Yangon Region, Myanmar: A Case Study of Hlegu Township

9 Changing Livelihood Options as Adaptation: A Comparative Analysis of Three Flood Control Schemes in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

10 Environmental and Social Impacts of Mining in the Mogok Area, Pyin Oo Lwin District, Mandalay Region, Myanmar

11 Negotiating Livelihoods Access to Coastal Resources: Environmental Citizenship by NGOs in Indonesia

12 Landslide Hazard in Chin State: A Case Study in Hakka and Its Environs

13 Women, Water and 'Wicked Problems': Community Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change in Northern Pakkoku, Myanmar

14 Socio-Political Transformation After the 2011 Floods in Thailand

15 The Impact of Floods on the Socio-Economic Activities of Yangon

16 State of Forest Governance in Vietnam: Where Are the Local Communities?

17 Laws Relating to Environmental Conservation in Myanmar

18 Effects of Rural-Urban Migration on Agricultural Production in Taungdwingyi Township, Magway Region, Myanmar

19 Effects of Migration on Two Small Villages Between Pyalin and Gonmin Chaungs, Pantanaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region

20 An Overview of Post-disaster Regional Administrative Management in Japan: Actors and Responsibilities

21 Family Recombination in Post-disaster Reconstruction: A Case Study of the Earthquake-Stricken Area in Wenchuan, SW China

22 Ahi Ka¯ Roa, Ahi Ka¯ Ora O¯tautahi: Ma¯ori, Recovery Trajectories and Resilience in Canterbury, New Zealand

23 Poverty Alleviation and Community Empowerment in the Bagan-Nyaung-U Area of Central Myanmar

24 Rural Economy and Poverty in the Myanmar Delta: A Case Study of Ahmar Sub-township, Ayeyarwady Region

25 Conclusion and Policy Implications