...the customary rights of communities and
Indigenous Peoples to forests, rangelands, and wetlands are often not
written down or shown on government maps, but they are a fundamental
reality. They cover more than 50 percent of the world’s land surface, yet
new research by RRI in 2015 showed that just 10 percent of the world’s
land is legally recognized as community-owned.2
This means that governments formally recognize communities’
ownership rights to less than 20 percent of the land they have
historically owned.
Search results
Showing items 1 through 9 of 4.-
Library ResourceReports & ResearchFebruary, 2016Myanmar
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Library ResourceReports & ResearchNovember, 2007Myanmar
Abstract: In large parts of the world, forests remain the domain of the state in which the rights of forest-dependent
peoples are denied or insecure. E fforts to restore justice to, and alleviate the poverty of, these marginalized
communities have often focused on tenurial reforms. S ometimes those reforms have led to important improvements
in livelihoods, mainly by stabilizing communities’ land use systems and by giving them greater
security. H owever, these improvements have not prevented communities from suffering other forms of -
Library Resource
The Status of Forest Carbon Rights and Governance Frameworks in Over Half of the World's Tropical Forests
Reports & ResearchMarch, 2018Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, AsiaMost of the world’s remaining tropical forests lie in areas that are customarily managed and/or legally owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. In the context of climate change and global efforts to protect and enhance the capacity of forests to capture and store greenhouse gas emissions, the question of who owns the trees and the carbon stored therein is paramount. Clarifying this question is crucial, both for the future of the planet, and for up to 1.7 billion people worldwide who rely on forests for their livelihoods.
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Library Resource
Progress and slowdown in forest tenure reform since 2002
Reports & ResearchMarch, 2014GlobalWho owns the world’s forests, and who decides on their governance? The answers to these questions are still deeply contested. To many Indigenous Peoples and local communities who have lived in and around forests for generations, the forests belong to them, under locally defined systems of customary tenure. In most countries, however, governments have claimed ownership of much of the forest estate through historical processes of expropriation, and those claims have been formalized in statutory laws.
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