Strengthening security of tenure is considered a key outcome of the LAND-at-scale program as a pre-condition to improved livelihoods, resilience, and sustainable resource use. LAND-at-scale interventions employ a range of tools to achieve tenure security, in particular land mapping and registration. Despite the popularity of such interventions, the assumptions underpinning the impact pathways from registration to tenure security and derived outcomes such as improved livelihoods are not always built on a solid evidence base. 

By examining the landscapes of multiple African countries, we will unearth the myriad experiences of traditional leaders, emphasizing the variances in their legislative authority and the weight of their word. By drawing upon actual case studies, the discourse will underscore potential friction areas between traditional leaders, governmental entities, and local populace, especially when the spotlight turns to the management of land based investments within ancestral domains.

This webinar presented findings from research conducted by the Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG) Program and its partners on the recognition and formalization of customary tenure rights across the Mekong region. It highlighted key themes from two important regional publications: "The Recognition and Formalization of Customary Tenure in the Forest Landscapes of the Mekong Region: A Polanyian Perspective" and the "State of Land Brief: Recognition of Customary Tenure in Forest Landscapes of the Mekong Region."