International nature: poor people’s wealth the importance of natural resources in poverty eradication

The document examines the relationship between natural resource access and poverty, arguing that neoliberal policies—such as trade liberalization, privatization, and industrial agriculture—exacerbate rural poverty by stripping local communities of their resources. It provides case studies from various regions to demonstrate how community-based management of forests, fisheries, and water, alongside sustainable energy and agro-ecological farming, can effectively alleviate poverty. The report calls for the unconditional cancellation of external debt, the recognition of an 'ecological debt' owed by the North to the South, and a structural shift away from corporate-driven development toward food sovereignty and environmental justice.

• There is a critical link between environmental degradation and rural poverty, with approximately 70 percent of the world's poor living in rural areas and relying on local environments for survival.
• Neoliberal economic globalization, characterized by trade liberalization and privatization, increases environmental devastation and poverty for natural resource-dependent people.
• Industrial-scale monocultures, such as soy, oil palm, and pulp plantations, are the primary threats to forests, which 100 million people depend on for survival.
• Industrial fishing and the conversion of mangroves into shrimp farms for export jeopardize the livelihoods of small-scale coastal fisherpeople and deplete marine resources.
• Corporate-driven agriculture, including the promotion of genetically modified (GM) crops and a 'second Green Revolution,' threatens food security and biodiversity while benefiting biotech companies over resource-poor farmers.
• International financial institutions (IFIs) like the World Bank often implement projects—such as mega-dams and pipelines—that displace communities and destroy the natural resource base of the poor.
• Community-based resource management and participatory mapping enable indigenous and local populations to secure their rights and maintain sustainable livelihoods.
• Sustainable energy initiatives, such as biogas in Argentina and micro-hydro/solar power in Malaysia, provide a pathway to alleviate poverty and reduce climate vulnerability.
• The report advocates for the total cancellation of external debt and the recognition of an 'ecological debt' owed by industrialized nations to the South for historical resource exploitation.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2005). International nature: poor people’s wealth the importance of natural resources in poverty eradication. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foei-poverty-all-eng-lr.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. International nature: poor people’s wealth the importance of natural resources in poverty eradication. 2005. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foei-poverty-all-eng-lr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=International nature: poor people’s wealth the importance of natural resources in poverty eradication |date=July 2005 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foei-poverty-all-eng-lr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2005international, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{International nature: poor people’s wealth the importance of natural resources in poverty eradication}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2005}, month = jul, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foei-poverty-all-eng-lr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }