Study title

There are three Excel files containing data arising from household surveys of two villages in Lamjung district of Nepal and four settlements near Merowe Dam in Sudan. The data include social profile of these villages (including livelihood strategies) and information with regard to access to natural resources and project impacts. Data from Khasur village in Lamjung district of Nepal focus on villagers' access to forest resources and their participation on REDD+ pilot project whereas Bhulbhule data focus on household profile and people's reaction to the development of a hydropower project. The data from Merowe dam case study in Sudan focus on impacts of hydropower development, including issues of local people's displacement and access to land and water. Samples of information sheet/consent form and the questionnaires used for data collection in each of the case study sites are also provided. The data are from the household surveys of two villages (Khasur and Bhulbhule) in Lamjung district of Nepal and four settlements near Merowe Dam in Sudan. The data include social profile of these villages (including livelihood strategies) and information with regard to access to natural resources and project impacts. The household data arose from the research project on 'Rethinking Environment and Development in an Era of Global Norms: An Exploration of Forests and Water in Nepal, Sudan and Uganda'. The research responds to the unprecedented emergence of global environmental norms intended to reconcile natural resource management with poverty alleviation in a just manner. Prominent examples of such norms are the REDD+ safeguards under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the recommendations issued by the World Commission on Dams. The norms possess the potential to transform development practice, so long as they effectively support poor people’s claims on natural resources and rights to sustainable livelihoods. Their increasing significance also...