Highlights:

Despite political restrictions, monks in Burma are a force to preserve nature...

An apocalyptic series of earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and floods in the region has spooked everyone. Many people have turned to soothsayers and astrologers for advice about any impending natural disasters.

But rather than consult the Mayan calender or a fortune-teller, The Irrawaddy reporter Min Naing Thu interviewed Dr Tun Lwin, the former director-general of Burma's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).

Objectives of the DMH is as follows:
(1) To take precautionary measures against and minimize the effects of natural disasters
(2) To promote safety, comfort, efficiency and regularity of air, land (rail & road), sea and inland water transportation.
(3) To bring sustainable development of natural resources (hydro electric power, forest produce, water use, wind energy, etc.)
(4) To promote agricultural and food production.

An apocalyptic series of earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and floods in the region has spooked everyone. Many people have turned to soothsayers and astrologers for advice about any impending natural disasters.

But rather than consult the Mayan calender or a fortune-teller, The Irrawaddy reporter Min Naing Thu interviewed Dr Tun Lwin, the former director-general of Burma's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).

...According to the 2016 Climate Risk Index, Myanmar is the second-most-vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change. Joern Kristensen, director of the Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID), has experienced firsthand how new weather patterns are putting farmers under stress. His organisation runs a climate adaptation project in the highland areas of Nyaungshwe and Kalaw in Shan State. “What we can see there is, while precipitation has been more or less the same for the past 20 years, the rainy season has become shorter.

To provide for the upgrading and conversion into ownership of certain rights granted in respect land; for the transfer of tribal land in full ownership to tribes; and for matters connected therewith.
(Afrikaans text signed by the State President.)
(Assented to 27 June 1991.)
BE IT ENACTED by the State President and the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, as follows:

To provide for the temporary protection of certain rights to and interests in land which are not otherwise adequately protected by law; and to provide for matters connected therewith

Deforestation remains a persistent environmental challenge in Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that between 2010 to 2015 alone, the continent experienced a net loss of around 17 million hectares of forests. To put this in perspective, this is equivalent to more than 1.3 times the total land size of England. It is also a major driver of carbon emissions

Political transformations in most developing nations have been accompanied by vast land claims by indigenous communities who were forcibly detached from their traditional land during colonisation and apartheid-like dispensations. In the context of sub-Saharan African countries (including South Africa), the need for land reform has been aggravated by the great scarcity of farmland. However, most of the reclaimed land is in areas pursuing conservation activities.

The preservation, development and sustainable use of agricultural land are of vital importance to ensure longterm food security in South Africa. These principles of food security as well as an integrated, inclusive rural economy underpin the core focus areas of the National Development Plan, Vision 2030 (NDP).

While the Committee was waiting for delegates from the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and Environmental Affairs (DEA) to arrive, it had time to engage on other matters which were not on the agenda. Members were told the Committee had received a late invitation from the DRDLR to attend an indaba in Johannesburg on March 20. They agreed to seek more details on the event before deciding whether Members should attend. Minutes of the February 24 meeting were adopted without any corrections.