Sustainable Livelihoods
A sustainable livelihood is a way of living that enables an individual or community to meet their present needs while ensuring the long-term well-being of future generations. Sustainable livelihoods promote alternative models that value people and the planet, preserving culture, enhancing well-being, and fostering just, sustainable economies.
Indigenous peoples and local communities are often best placed to conserve natural resources, sustaining most of the world’s biodiversity, 17% of forest carbon, at least a quarter of the planet’s lands, and vast stretches of freshwater and marine habitat. ref
Fishers casting their nets, India. Photo © Deba Prasad Roy/TNC Photo Contest 2022
Sustainable livelihoods provide communities the opportunity to generate stable livelihoods while caring for the natural resources around them.
What is a Sustainable Livelihood Initiative?
A sustainable livelihood initiative refers to a program or project that aims to improve the well-being and livelihoods of individuals and communities in an economically viable, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable manner.
Sustainable livelihood initiatives create opportunities for people to:
- Earn a living while using natural resources sustainably
- Lead or engage in strategies to steward the environment in alignment with the shared visions of the community
- Negotiate with external development pressures
- Thrive in place while caring for lands and waters, rather than leaving in search of other opportunities
Villagers weave baskets made from rattan, Borneo, Indonesia. Photo © Nick Hall
Key Principles of Sustainable Livelihood Initiatives
Environmental sustainability
Ensure that livelihood practices and economic activities do not degrade or deplete natural resources, instead contributing to their conservation, regeneration, and sustainable use.
Climate change mitigation, adaptation, and risk management
Provide an opportunity for communities to mitigate climate change by protecting carbon sinks such as forests, mangroves or seagrass while reducing community vulnerability and increasing resilience to catastrophic events.
Community-Led
Guarantee community decision-making power and control of their businesses, allowing them to drive their own economic development. Support and align with the community’s aspirations, cultural values, and vision for the future, while ensuring capacity building and technical assistance efforts are put in place to meet their needs.
Inclusive and equitable
Promote equal access to opportunities, resources, and decision-making processes, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or other social factors.
Long-term commitments
Build trust with the community and build their operational and administrative capacity.
Financially viable
Ensure communities launch into sustainable livelihood initiatives with a good business model, particularly confirming the existence of or opportunity for a market for any products they want to develop.
Diversification
Encourage individuals and communities to engage in diverse income-generating activities and livelihood strategies to reduce risk vulnerability and enhance resilience.
Diverse partnerships
Gain the necessary support from public and private institutions so communities can access capital, markets, and technical assistance.
Categories of Sustainable Livelihood Initiatives
Sustainable livelihoods initiatives can be grouped into 3 categories:
- Subsistence livelihoods – Products are consumed by the producer and their family or community rather than marketed and sold. Communities engaged in subsistence livelihoods might be interested in improving food security by enhancing the sustainability of their livelihood.
- Direct compensation for environmental stewardship – Individuals or communities receive payment for stewarding natural resources. This can include stewardship jobs, like ranger, patrol, or conservation manager roles; payment for ecosystem services (PES) programs, like carbon credits; and compensation mechanisms, such as an outsider paying the community to access their natural resources.
- Community enterprises – Communities sell products and services often linked to the sustainable use of natural resources, such as forestry products, fisheries products, sustainable agriculture, livestock, or ecotourism.
See the Introduction to Sustainable Livelihoods Online Course for more information and case studies on sustainable livelihood initiatives.
The Sustainable Livelihoods Toolkit was developed in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC’s) Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Team and the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, drawing on TNC's Indigenous & Community-Led Conservation Approach, Guide to Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Enterprises, and Voice, Choice, & Action Framework.
