It is at the local/community level that the connections among ecosystem hea
lth, the health of human communities, and individual livelihoods are most a
pparent and critical. This paper reports a number of community initiatives
aimed at improving or providing alternative livelihoods, while at the same
time conserving or restoring the integrity of the ecosystem on which the co
mmunity depends. It presents case studies of Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE (Communal
Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources) and Akwesasne in northea
stern North America, as well as examples from northern Canada, of communiti
es that have attempted to integrate economic development, community values/
culture, and the restoration of ecosystem and community health. In both the
north and the south these communities face ecological pressures such as cl
imate change, industrial pollution, loss of diversity and productivity, def
orestation, and resulting loss of traditional livelihood strategies. They a
re also victims of global economic forces, economic and institutional globa
lization, and are struggling to make adaptive responses. Common themes are
identified across the case studies and we identify the need for indicators
and programs that recognize and reinforce the interconnections and guide de
velopment programs that integrate community and ecosystem health and sustai
nability.