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How much does Zambia benefit from its rich forests, wildlife, soils and water – and what more could it do to ensure the protection and wise use of these ‘environmental assets’? Where environment and poverty problems are becoming increasingly severe, such questions need to be answered urgently. To begin this, the Environmental Council of Zambia and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, facilitated by IIED, decided to bring together a dozen highly experienced Zambian professionals who work in environment and development in government, business, civil society, and academic contexts.

The authors offer a positive, lessons-learned approach – identifying what has worked in key sectors and through institutional innovations. They conclude that Zambia could produce higher levels of income and welfare if its environmental assets are planned, allocated, managed and governed better. Their recommendations herald a new era of integrated environment-development planning that is not just ‘pushed’ by environment interests, but is now also ‘demand-pulled’ by development and finance authorities.