Land grabbing for conservation?

The 4-page IIED Briefing Paper “Land grabbing: is conservation part of the problem or the solution?” presents the experience of international-development, wildlife and human-rights practitioners shared at a symposium on land grabbing and conservation in March 2013. Weak governance and poor land-use planning mean that commercial “land grabs” often damage biodiversity and dispossess people from customary rights and livelihoods. Land can also be “grabbed” for “green” purposes: expanded state-protected areas, land for carbon-offset markets and REDD and for private conservation projects can conflict with community rights and be counterproductive. A couple of the examples come from pastoral areas in Eastern Africa. Secure customary, communal land tenure helps local people manage natural resources sustainably.

 

Posted on 17 May 2014 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Natural Resources