1.

What is the best way to assess the effectiveness of a fund on rural livelihood
development?

ving plantation and development livelihoods. This appears to be either governmental

pr semi governmental funds and its implementation is also controlled by government
either directly or indirectly. I feel you should get all the details of the
parameters of implementation, their aims, targets, personnel, area, locality and
the local people of the selected area, to be covered, type and no of plantation
to be done, protection and rehabilitation of the plantation ( by comparing the no
of plantation implanted and their survival). any agents good and/or bad affecting
the plantation ( watering, protection against pest and adverse weather) , should
be considered. The response of the local persons, good or bad are to evaluated.
this has to be done for at least for the duration till the plantation effectively
grows to a moderately matured state. You may prepare a questionnaire for the
participants and the locals of the area to evaluate their response and the impact
of the plantation and improvement in their livelihood. Plan this much and see what
is the result,

2. What is the role of Universities and Institutes for implementation of

Sustainable Development?

Universities play a legitimate, unique and relevant international cooperation for

development role. After a time when the role of higher education in social and
economic development of partner countries are obviated, institutions of higher
education are gaining increasing recognition over recent years as key institutions
for development and international cooperation. Today no one doubts the importance
of higher education and science and technology in promoting the sustainable
development of countries, especially developing countries.
To promote sustainable development and improving social welfare requires, among
other factors, the availability of highly qualified professionals and the ability
of society to innovate and adapt technologies and knowledge to a specific national
context. Universities offer skills and knowledge to develop all sectors of society
and manage development effectively. Specifically, universities contribute to the
development of their countries through its four main areas: training and
development of human capital; scientific research; social and cultural development;
innovation and economic progress.
Universities can set the following objectives:
to. Expert training teachers in sustainability, conceptual approaches and
methodologies.
b. Basic training on Sustainable Development for undergraduate and graduate
students with extensive supply outside the university agents.
c. Production of training materials on Sustainable Development oriented field of
higher education.
d. Production of training materials on Sustainable Development dissemination
oriented towards society.

3.How to minimize the effect of urban and real estate development on natural
environment around wetlands?

community impact in the National Academies’ recent report (2018) [42]. The approach
and the

outcome of the Rain Project showed its applicability as a framework in a larger

community setting.

Green infrastructure such as floating wetlands can be built nationwide and used for
sustainable

stormwater management, not only for water quality benefits, but also as an
opportunity to both train

the next generation of ecologically literate citizens and form a sense of community
among

participants and stakeholders.

We hope that, in the future, continued efforts will explore many ways for
universities to work

with urban and real estate development projects to facilitate the much-needed
communication

required to change cultural attitudes toward both sustainable urban development and
higher

education. Universities often guide land use decisions in their local environments
and can build an

active partnership with real estate development through research and training. This
type of

collaboration or partnership can be initiated as we incorporate ecological and

environmental

sustainability research into the early stage of a project to study and shape
infrastructure [43]. One of

the best models for this future type of collaboration is the Olentangy River
Wetland Research Park

(https://senr.osu.edu/research/schiermeier-olentangy-river-wetland-research-park)
located in

Columbus, Ohio, on the extended campus of The Ohio State University [44]. For more
than two

decades, this urban wetland park, slightly over 30 acres in size, has provided a
great deal of training

and scholarship for higher education as well as opportunities for local community
engagement in

numerous urban development projects that benefitted, both environmentally and

culturally, the city

and its residents [44]. The kind of partnership between universities and urban
developers that can

build from this model may also support more creative and sustainable urban
development planning

that faces ever-increasing uncertainty in environmental conditions due to climate

change.

4. Final Thoughts

Figure 2. The Rain Project floating wetland on Mason Pond in the summer of 2015
(Photo credit:
Susie Beyer-Wait).

4. Final Thoughts

Created wetlands can be sited, designed, and monitored in a way that optimizes the
essential

ecosystem services of water quality and habitat improvement that are often lost
when natural wetlands

are impacted by urban development projects. In addition to the ample aesthetic and
recreational

value they hold in urban areas, wetlands provide water storage and flood
attenuation, remove some

pollutants and retain others in sediments and/or plants, and provide habitat for
urban wildlife.

Incorporating design elements that are known to enhance ecosystem functions in

urban created

wetlands should be factored in the early stage of urban development and

infrastructure planning,

especially for sustainable stormwater management. Communication will be key in

facilitating the

much-needed collaboration between ecologists and urban designers and engineers for
successful

outcomes. Universities have a role to play in the community to improve

environmental literacy for

sustainable urban development through engagement and research [43]. We encourage

the partnership

4. Does poverty contribute to biodiversity loss?

Decision makers are faced with certain challenges when they explore ways of
simultaneously achieving the Millennium Development Goals and the CBD 2010 targets
for biodiversity conservation. Decreasing poverty usually coincides with decreasing
biodiversity, creating a 'win-lose' situation. Overexploitation can lead to a
collapse of the system and an increase in poverty with even more loss of
biodiversity, and become a 'lose-lose' situation. Reducing poverty while conserving
biodiversity - a 'win-win' - can be achieved on a local scale. However, such a
positive impact is hard to realise when all trade-off effects elsewhere and in the
future are considered.These are the main conclusions of the explorative study: 'How
do biodiversity and poverty relate? An explorative study', by the Netherlands
Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).
Poor people themselves are often the cause of biodiversity degradation and loss,
especially if lack of income alternatives drive them to over-exploit the resources.
This over- use of biodiversity will only be reduced when tangible livelihood gains
are derived from its sustainable use.

5. Could education for sustainable development play vital role in addressing

climate change?
I think education can raise awareness and change attitudes but the core problem is
to change behavior. The link between raised knowledge (affecting attitudes and
awareness) and changed behavior is not always straightforward. Having said that, I
still think that education has an important role to play in sustainable
development.

It helps learners understand the causes and consequences of climate change,

prepares them to live with the impacts of climate change and empowers learners to
take appropriate actions to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.

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