Book excerpt: Natural resources such as forests and fisheries play a larger role in the national income and wealth of less developed economies. This handbook is designed to serve as a guide for champions and practitioners engaged in the task of mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages into national development planning. The handbook draws on a substantial body of experience at the country level and the many lessons learned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in working with governments — especially ministries of planning, finance and environment — to support efforts to integrate the complex interrelationships between poverty reduction and improved environmental management into national planning and decision-making