In 2014, a total of 16,674 earthquakes were registered globally. Some of these led to international and national disasters, as last seen following the earthquakes in Nepal on 25 April and 12 May 2025 that killed more than 8,000 people, injured some 18,000, and destroyed the productive assets and homes of hundreds of thousands of households.

Based on our studies from Nepal on (i) combined livelihood and forest productivity, and (ii) trade in medicinal and aromatic plants, we identify environmental resource related low cost interventions that can create sustainable incomes for rural households in quake-hit districts in Nepal, thus enabling them to help themselves rather than relying solely on weak relief infrastructure already under pressure.

Our research shows that environmental income is especially important for the livelihoods of the rural poor, and that this income can be increased substantially with changes in legislation and governance. Environmental income is the sum of cash and subsistence income from non-agricultural areas, including forests, meadows and rivers. This type of income is not included in traditional poverty assessments.