Managing fragile land to improve livelihoods Living on the edge—the arid plains Living on a precipice—the mountains Nurturing assets by listening—and by enabling communities to act Nurturing women’s human capital Building on traditional social capital

Cover images: A montage of two satellite sensor products, the cover image shows the lights of human settlements and (on May 14, 2002) variation in sea surface temperatures. The image illustrates several World Development Report 2003 themes: the link between growth and environment (higher income correlated with greater energy use), the continuing socioeconomic challenge of inequality and poverty reduction (vast disparity in the energy use of developed countries and that of developing countries), the interconnectedness and impact of human activity (fossil fuel-based energy use raising sea surface temperatures), and the need to gather information (such as that provided by satellite sensors) to anticipate and monitor problems if the world is to shift to a more sustainable development. It is a product of the staff of the World Bank, and the judgments made herein do not necessarily reflect the views of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. Sustainability—an evolving framework Measuring sustainability The importance of a range of assets Why the need to manage a broader portfolio of assets? Tradeoffs and sustainable development Some assets are overused or underprovided—why? Correcting the overuse or underprovision of important assets 3 Institutions for Sustainable Development Institutions coordinating human behavior Institutions protecting assets Picking up signals, balancing interests, and implementing decisions Overcoming barriers to coordination Promoting inclusiveness Catalysts for change 4 Improving Livelihoods on Fragile Lands Inclusion, innovation, and migration Managing fragile land to improve livelihoods Living on the edge—the arid plains Living on a precipice—the mountains Nurturing assets by listening—and by enabling communities to act Nurturing women's human capital Building on traditional social capital The use of nonrenewable local resources—balancing interests Balancing interests among governments, companies, and communities Partnering for change