The interconnections between poverty and environmental degradation within fragile ecosystems represent one of the most pressing challenges in ecological economics, where human well-being and ecological sustainability are deeply intertwined. Fragile ecosystems such as arid lands, wetlands, mountainous regions, small island environments, coastal zones, and tropical rainforests are characterized by ecological sensitivity, limited resilience, and reduced capacity to recover from disturbances. In many developing regions of the world, these ecosystems are home to some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations, who depend directly on natural resources for survival. The cycle of poverty and environmental degradation becomes self-reinforcing: poverty drives unsustainable resource use due to lack of alternatives, which in turn accelerates ecological collapse, further deepening poverty and reducing opportunities for sustainable development. Poverty is not only the absence of income but also the lack of access to land, education, technology, financial resources, clean water, sanitation, and social and political security. Poor communities living within fragile ecosystems rely on subsistence agriculture, fuelwood collection, small-scale fishing, livestock grazing, and local forest resources to sustain their lives. Because they lack the means to invest in sustainable methods or diversify income sources, they often exploit the environment to an extent that exceeds ecological renewal capacity. In many regions, deforestation for fuel and agriculture, overgrazing of fragile grasslands, overfishing in coastal waters, mining in ecologically sensitive mountains, and conversion of wetlands to farmland become coping strategies for survival. These actions gradually degrade soil fertility, reduce forest cover, diminish biodiversity, and increase vulnerability to natural disasters. Environmental degradation within fragile ecosystems directly undermines livelihood security and perpetuates poverty. Soil erosion caused by over-cultivation and deforestation reduces agricultural productivity, forcing families to expand cultivation into marginal lands or migrate to urban slums. Loss of forest cover reduces access to food, medicine, building materials, and fuelwood, while also eliminating ecosystem services such as water regulation and carbon storage. Degraded watersheds lead to declining water quality and availability, intensifying competition and conflict over scarce resources. In coastal regions, coral reef destruction and mangrove clearing increase vulnerability to storms and reduce fish catch, trapping fishing communities in a cycle of declining yields and increasing poverty. In each case, environmental decline removes natural safety nets that rural poor previously relied on, leaving them more exposed to climatic extremes such as floods, droughts, cyclones, and landslides. Fragile ecosystems are particularly vulnerable because of their limited capacity for natural regeneration. For example, semi-arid regions can take decades to recover vegetation lost to fuel collection or grazing. Mountain soils eroded by deforestation may never regain fertility without carefully planned restoration. Wetlands drained for agriculture permanently lose biodiversity and hydrological functions. When ecosystems degrade, the capacity of the environment to support human livelihoods diminishes, leading to forced resource overuse and intensifying the poverty-environment trap. Ecological economics emphasizes that economic systems cannot be separated from ecological systems, and that disregarding ecological limits results in long-term economic and social costs that disproportionately affect the poor. Inequitable resource distribution is another major factor linking poverty with environmental degradation. In many developing nations, large-scale landowners or commercial enterprises control high-quality land, leaving marginal and ecologically vulnerable land to the poor. As a result, poor households are pushed into areas such as steep hillsides, deserts, flood-prone coastal plains, or degraded forests where agricultural productivity is low and climate risks are high. They are forced to maximize short-term