This month, we invite you to participate in the e-consultation on Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. Following a lengthy regional consultation process, additional input is being requested prior to the drafting of the Zero Draft Guidelines. FAO Headquarters marked World Water Day 2011, examining the urgent need for safe water supplies for the world’s rapidly growing urban populations. Finally, we proudly announce the Chinese-language version of a disaster preparedness project web site, outlining the findings of a two-year project that took place in China’s Juye County. The site is now fully available in English and Chinese.

For the past year, the Voluntary Guidelines Secretariat has been carrying out an extensive consultation process with stakeholders in all the regions. Participants from governments, civil society, private sector, academia and international organizations have provided valuable contributions that have contributed towards the First Draft of the Voluntary Guidelines. The Secretariat is eager to solicit contributions from participants who may not have been able to be present at the regional consultations. For this reason, an e-consultation is being held 18 April – 16 May. Participants are welcome to leave their comments on the e-consultation web site.

Welcome to the third issue of the Natural Resources and Environment Newsletter. In this issue, we will be introducing the new Land tenure e-journal, which has just launched its first issue. This e-journal is dedicated to land-related issues, including land tenure. We will also learn about the recently issued report, the State of the World’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and we will introduce you to the new web site gearing up for the 2012 event marking the twentieth anniversary of the Earth Summit - FAO@Rio+20.