Problems and opportunities in environmental and natural resources management in Asia and the Pacific

Abstract

This paper briefly reviews three extremely important natural resource components soil, water and forests for the people of the region as well as for the development processes. These three resources are closely linked and are interacting. Develop- ment of one depends upon the other, while degradation will similarly affect the utility and productivity of all. The Asia and the Pacific region contains over half the world's population. Four of the most populous countries in the world are in this region. The availability of food, shelter, water for drinking, irrigation, industry, etc. for the growing population will be very critical. Furthermore, the region is economically one of the fastest growing and forecasted to continue so. The requirements for natural resources to meet these development needs will be immense. Hence the pressures on land, water and forests will become more severe and the competing needs become much more intense.