Inadequate and unequal management of natural resources is a major impediment to the transformation of communities in the developing world. When natural resources are depleted, when pollution threatens the well-being of a country's population, the most vunerable tend to be among the hardest hit. Poor households often depend on access to a diversity of natural resources for their livelihoods; they are often the most adversely affected by exposure to unsafe water, indoor air pollution, toxic chemicals and other health hazards.