In recent years, local people and rural communities have assumed increasing prominence in strategies for natural resource management.This paper briefly reviews some of the central legal issues that are associated with this shift. In doing so, its goals are limited. It does not ad dress fundamental questions about when, where and what kind of management works, nor attempt to identify the political, social, economic and environmental ingredient s for success – subjects on which there is a huge, if still inconclusive, literature.

This Guide has been developed to assist in the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (the VGGT) with regard to fisheries in marine and inland waters. It explains the characteristics of the fisheries sector and provides technical guidance. Its purpose is to contribute to the achievement of the VGGT objectives in respect of the improvement of governance of tenure in fisheries.

This publication is a result of a close collaboration between FAO and RECOFTC - the Centre for People and Forests. Many colleagues from both the FAO and RECOFTC as well as other training and tenure experts have provided useful comments and suggestions over the course of developing the materials. This module is designed for training involving a mix of participants interested in contributing to more effective forest tenure policy and programmes.

Programmes to reduce emissions from deforestation and ecosystem degradation, such as REDD+ and other forestry incentive programmes, including Payment for Environmental Services (PES), could represent an opportunity to strengthen processes of conservation, sustainable usage and poverty reduction in the Mesoamerican region, particularly in indigenous territories and communities.

As a large proportion of the rural private sector, forest and farm producers are the primary actors in rural transformation and sustainable development. They possess knowledge and experience essential to shaping effective successful policies and actions. Through its support to local and national producer organizations, the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) is working to ensure forest and farm producers are involved in national decision-making processes that impact their livelihoods and the sustainable management of forests, in turn helping to achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals.

تم إعداد هذا الدليل الخاص باللامركزية والضريبة على الملكية الريفية لمساعدة القائمين على إدارة الأراضي الذين يشاركون في تصميم وتنفيذ نظم الضريبة على الملكية الريفية، في وضع يشهد تزايد دعوة مؤسسات حيازة الأراضي إلى دعم نقل مسؤولية الخدمات إلى الحكومات المحلية. ويتوقع من عملية اللامركزية هذه أن تحسّن تقديم الخدمات عبر إيكالها إلى المستوى الحكومي الأقرب من المستفيدين منها. وإذ يتسع نطاق الخدمات التي توكل بها الحكومات المحلية، فإن العديد من البنى الحكومية الريفية ما زالت تفتقر إلى الموارد اللازمة للاضطلاع بالمسؤوليات الجديدة الملقاة على عاتقها.

83 regularly-updated country profiles that provide information on national policy and legal frameworks related to gender and land rights  Gender and land-related statistics from national agricultural censuses and household surveys available through maps, tables and graphs  A Legislation Assessment Tool for genderequitable land tenure (LAT) to support the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines of the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forestry in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT).  Online discussions on selected topics