Poverty and environmental degradation are deeply interlinked phenomena, especially within fragile ecosystems such as arid and semi-arid regions, mountain areas, coastal zones, wetlands, and tropical forests. Ecological economics emphasizes that the economy is embedded within the environment, and therefore stresses how socio-economic deprivation and ecological stress mutually reinforce each other. In fragile ecosystems, where ecological resilience is low and carrying capacity is limited, this relationship becomes particularly intense and cyclical. Poverty often compels communities to depend directly on natural resources for survival. In the absence of alternative livelihoods, the poor rely on activities such as subsistence agriculture, fuelwood collection, grazing, fishing, and extraction of minor forest produce. This dependence increases pressure on land, water, forests, and biodiversity. When population growth combines with limited access to productive assets like land, credit, technology, and education, resource use tends to become extractive rather than regenerative. For instance, marginal farmers in dryland regions may cultivate fragile soils without adequate inputs, leading to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and declining productivity. As ecological conditions worsen, yields fall further, deepening poverty and reinforcing dependence on degrading resources. Environmental degradation in fragile ecosystems directly undermines the livelihoods of the poor, creating a poverty trap. Degraded soils reduce agricultural output, deforestation affects water availability and microclimates, and loss of biodiversity weakens ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, and nutrient cycling. In mountain ecosystems, deforestation and road construction can trigger landslides, destroying homes and fields of poor communities. In coastal ecosystems, mangrove destruction increases vulnerability to storms and sea-level rise, disproportionately affecting fishing and farming communities