ESA's research on natural resources provides analysis and policy insights on how natural resource management can result in enhanced food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development. Research and field work seek to improve knowledge and understanding of how best to integrate sustainable natural resources and environmental management into the development and poverty reduction processes.

Project activities include: incorporating poverty reduction concerns into global environmental agreements; identifying conflicts and complementarities between biodiversity conservation and development; and overcoming barriers to sustainable resource use by the rural poor.