News on Land

MONTREAL — Forest areas managed by indigenous and local communities store nearly 300 billion metric tons of carbon — five times more than previously estimated — yet failure for these communities to have their rights formally recognized may lead forest-dependent people unable to protect carbon reserves, a new report claims.

In a watershed moment for land rights in Liberia and across Africa, President George Weah on Sept. 19 signed into law a land reform bill that extends land rights to millions of rural Liberians.

The Land Rights Act ensures, for the first time, that the land rights of rural Liberians are recognized, protected, and guaranteed by law – an essential ingredient for these communities to achieve secure land rights. Under the previous land tenure system, as much as 80 percent of Liberians lived without legally recognized rights to land.

One similarity between the three Asian economies, namely Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, is their success in becoming high-income countries after World War II while maintaining a more equal distribution of income. Currently the Gini Index of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are in the low 0.30s, while Indonesia’s index (a lower middle-income country) is around 0.40. Key to the ability of the three countries in maintaining a more equal distribution of income is land reform, which they conducted as early as the 1940s and 1950s. 

MASAITA, Kenya—Twenty years ago, when Rael Chemutai and her husband heard about the fertile land that was for sale near the Mau Forest, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, they decided to sell their belongings and set out on a journey to finally settle on the productive land.

Up to now, there is no announcement on a date when the trial will continue until the Court of Appeal resolves the legal objections filed.

The first trial for the murder of Honduran Indigenous activist Berta Caceres was suspended on Monday in Tegucigalpa.

Many migrants to Pune, from a range of social backgrounds, work as caretakers of public toilets in the city. While they often face ridicule and abuse because of their jobs, the perk of a free accommodation in an expensive city, even if that accommodation happens to be within breathing distance of a toilet used by hundreds, makes it a viable option for them.

Name: Raju Sawant.
Address: Sarvajanik Shauchalaya, Sinhagad Road, Pune-30

After the death of her husband, Sinodia Moyo* (58) was left with nothing in terms of moveable assets after her in-laws took everything away from her. She was left with a small piece of land after property such as livestock and household goods were distributed among her in-laws, leaving her in the cold.

Moyo, of Maribha Village, Goredema in Gokwe North, is among many widows in Zimbabwe who face tremendous hardships following the death of their spouses.they are denied the right to access, own, control or inherit property including the land they live on.

Knowing where deforestation is happening is critical for efforts aimed at stopping or slowing it. Major breakthroughs toward this goal have been made over the previous few years, with NGOs harnessing the power of satellites to monitor and identify canopy loss in forests around the world. Now, a new study sheds more light on forest loss, determining the primary causes of deforestation around the world.

The organizations claim the bill hurts both Indigenous people's rights and the environment.

Indigenous organizations in the Amazon have demanded Peru's Congress backtrack a recently passed Hydrocarbon bill, arguing it ignores the right of Indigenous peoples and undermines environmental conservation efforts.

Faced with groundwater depletion, Uganda is restoring its wetlands and planting millions of trees to improve supply

MBARARA, Uganda - In the village of Katebe, Ugandan schoolchildren have little choice but to drink from the same water supply as animals.

During the dry season from June to August, Kyakatarihwa dam is the only source of water for people and livestock alike in this remote part of southwest Uganda's Mbarara district.

Delayed payments of compensation for compulsory acquired lands by the state have been cited as a major cause of land litigation and inadequate security of tenure in the country.

Dr. Benjamin Armah Quaye, National Coordinator, Land Administration Project (LAP) explained that the yet-to-be compensated owners become frustrated by the delays and resort to encroaching the land, leading to litigations.