Landesa conducts research throughout the world on issues to land rights and development. Search or browse our published articles, books, and reports.
Two recent cases of voluntary relinquishment of land by a company offer a rare opportunity to better understand land divestment, and to identify motivations, risks, and good practices to carry out a responsible exit that supports communities’ rights and benefits. The largest forest development and wood processing company in East Africa recently carried out large-scale land divestments under different circumstances and at different scales in Mozambique and Tanzania.
This Learning Brief, co-authored with Parliamentary Centre of Asia, highlights findings from a baseline survey and qualitative assessments Landesa’s local partners carried out in five Community Fisheries (CFis) in Cambodia that are part of a Coastal Livelihoods and Mangroves project. The brief describes gender dynamics in CFi participation and management, notes root causes of inequities related to social norms and local beliefs, and provides insights into effective interventions and pathways for strengthening CFis, livelihoods, and mangrove ecosystem health through gender equality.
A new Landesa report shows how strengthening local rights to manage coastal resources in Cambodia can protect livelihoods, restore mangrove forests, and fight climate change. Many community fishery organizations face challenges like unclear boundaries and limited control over their resources, putting both ecosystems and livelihoods at risk. This report shares findings from carbon studies at two pilot sites, highlighting how strengthening land rights can help expand Cambodia’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and meet its climate goals.
Landesa contributed to a peer-reviewed study comparing 50 coastal villages with community forest (CF) certification to 50 control villages, revealing significant positive outcomes for mangrove conservation in Myanmar. CF sites saw reduced deforestation, enhanced regrowth, and a surprising spillover effect, where nearby non-CF areas also experienced increased forest cover. The study underscores the long-term benefits of government and INGO support, while highlighting the need for sustainable community management and governance to ensure continued success in protecting vital ecosystems.
As research on the nexus of land tenure security and climate grows, a more fine-tuned focus on tenure security for whom is needed to assess emerging evidence that women’s land tenure security (WLTS) can be an important lever for enhanced climate change mitigation and adaptation. To this end, we reviewed relevant empirical evidence to ascertain how WLTS affects climate change mitigation and adaptation. Our review seeks to further clarify the significance of women’s land tenure security to climate change mitigation and adaptation, inform Landesa and partners’ climate advocacy, and provide guidance to partners in data generation.
Although existing evidence points to meaningful linkages between land tenure and climate change, findings can fail to critically consider whose land tenure security, decisions, and practices contribute to key climate change outcomes, and how. Enhanced understanding of the complex and critical connections between women’s land tenure security and climate can advance our knowledge of the investments and planning needed to mitigate climate change and achieve more resilient futures.
Many challenges, such as deforestation, water management, land conflicts, labor rights, and smallholder support require collective action to address them in a meaningful way. This resource offers guidance for planners and implementers of landscape initiatives and suggests practical approaches to ensuring IPLC participation in, or ownership of, decisions in landscape initiatives at various key steps.
Landesa looked into the land issues and risks of coal and renewable energy (particularly wind, solar, and geothermal) in seven countries. Check out the full report for findings and recommendations for addressing prevalent land-related issues.
This report presents findings from an evaluation of long-term impacts of the highly innovative and cost-effective Ethiopian land certification program that took place between 2005 and 2020. We assess certification’s impacts on tenure security, agricultural investment, leveraging land for credit or rental, and women’s empowerment.
Landesa researchers reveal a brutal system of abuse and torture that deters tribal women from accessing their rights to land. The women in the tribal communities are particularly disadvantaged, as the customary practices do not support their land rights and the law of the state accepts customary practices of the tribal communities to be legal. While the research area focuses on the state of Jharkhand, similar trends are observable in India’s other tribal areas.