Suchergebnisse

AbstractWater, and Sanitation projects play an important role in alleviating water‐related poverty in developing countries. There are several methodologies that will not only assess the performance of these projects but will also help to better identify the problem and its characteristics, and to improve the efficiency of the investment. The Water Poverty Index is one of them. It is a very useful tool that helps to measure water stress at the household level in a holistic way, and to identify priorities. It is important, however, to complement it with a Cost‐Benefit Analysis that will take into account the costs of the project. A case study in Northern Colombia illustrates this point.

Rural poverty in underdeveloped countries is a critical issue. A fair amount of literature exists examining the conditions of pro-poor tourism development, as well as different ways to fight it. However, in some cases, and because of the existence of a limiting factor, a potential incompatibility between tourist development and other strategies can emerge, as well as the need to compare relative efficiency. An example of this potential conflict is the one posed by tourist development and the Multiple Use of Water Services strategy (MUS) to alleviate rural poverty. In this case, the limiting constraint is access to water. This paper analyses the impacts, direct and indirect, on poverty levels, of tourist development and MUS. the authors examine the Quindío Region in Colombia, where the MUS strategy is being implemented and where an ambitious tourist development plan may open social conflict regarding water supply. The results of this analysis shows that, even if the MUS strategy has a greater positive impact on poverty alleviation, in terms of income and employment generated per unit of water, its water footprint, contrary to expectations, is much higher than the one corresponding to the tourist sector. This may jeopardize its future development, calling for a more balanced approach.

Los campos petrolíferos de Ecuador se acercan al término de su vida económica y ya se están otorgando licencias para explotar nuevos yacimientos en la región amazónica. El hecho de que en algunas zonas de mayor valor ecológico del país pueda producirse deforestación, como sucedió en el pasado debido a las migraciones inducidas, cabe preguntarse si no sería razonable explotar estos nuevos yacimientos sin provocar deforestación. Este artículo no da una respuesta categórica pero, a partir de un proyecto de investigación anterior, presenta un ejercicio de simulación en el cual, para mostrar la pérdida económica que acarrearía la deforestación, introduce el valor económico de cuatro servicios prestados por los bosques tropicales. Sostiene además que la evaluación de las consecuencias ambientale