Dozens of private jets flew into Switzerland in late January for the 2019 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF), which convened more than 100 governments and 1,000 businesses in the Alpine ski resort of Davos to discuss globalization’s future.

Yet, climate change and inequality were two of the issues that dominated the event.

Poor land records, rampant speculation and weak or corrupt implementation of regulations means that cities are using land inefficiently

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Urban areas are expected to grow by 80 percent by the end of the next decade, and unless they grow up rather than out, they could be in trouble, according to a new report from the World Resources Institute and Yale University.

The Scottish Land Commission has launched a new toolkit to provide practical advice on how landowners, land managers and communities can make better decisions on land use.

The protocol, which defines good practice for engagement over land use and management, is the first in a series of publications from the commission aimed at encouraging practical implementation of the principles within the Scottish Government’s Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement (LRRS).

Authorities have claimed that some 100 families who clashed with police in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nop district last week have no legal rights to the land as they do not possess proper titles.

However, the villagers claim to have lived there for a significant time after having paid for their plots – something not recognised by the authorities, with one vowing to die for his.

• While cities are generally considered to be poorer in biodiversity than rural areas, new research finds that urban areas could actually play a key role in conserving pollinator communities.
• A team of researchers led by scientists at the UK’s University of Bristol studied pollinators and floral resources at 360 sites in four British cities representing all major urban land uses, including allotments (community gardens), cemeteries, gardens, man-made surfaces like parking lots, nature reserves and other green spaces, parks, sidewalks, and road verges.

The Murray-Darling crisis has led to drinking water shortages, drying rivers, and fish kills in the Darling, Macintyre and Murrumbidgee Rivers. This has been the catalyst for recommendations for a Royal Commissionand creation of two independent scientific expert panels.

This Special Issue emerged from contributions of the accepted abstracts at the 38th EARSeL Symposium and the 3rd joint EARSeL LULC & NASA LCLUC Workshop that took place, respectively, on 9–12 and 11–12 July, 2018, Chania, Greece. The topics linked to those events include:

We are very pleased to invite proposals for sessions for the LANDac Annual International Conference 2019. Practitioners, researchers, policymakers, all are welcome to organise a session at this year’s conference. We welcome workshops, panels, roundtables, debates, talk shows and other innovative formats. Films and exhibitions are also very welcome, as well as posters about your organisation or project.

Imagine having decisions made on your behalf, decisions that impact your livelihood, your home, your culture – and not having a voice in the process.