Practical guide

This Practical Guide on Alternative Development and the Environment brings together best practices and common success factors that could be used to inform the design, planning and implementation of alternative development and broader sustainable livelihood interventions. It offers guidance, not perfect solutions or success models. The best practices and success factors included are neither panaceas nor one-size-fits-all solutions that will be guaranteed to work everywhere. Instead, the usefulness of these guidelines and best practices will need to be assessed locally and, where relevant, they will need to be tailored to the local context and conditions. The guide covers four main thematic areas: Environmentally sustainable practices and approaches: A broad range of approaches and instruments that attempt to balance productivity, profitability and environmental protection and sustainability. Forest conservation: A range of approaches to preserve forests, water sources, biodiversity and ecosystems in general. Carbon credit schemes: Instruments to preserve forests and initiate other activities that help maintain, capture, secure and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Payments for Environmental Services: An instrument to provide some additional income (or in kind compensation) to farmers and communities in exchange for services that benefit various aspects of the environment