“Our forest is shedding tears” — a Munduruku woman fights for Indigenous rights
Interview with Milka Chepkorir: Sengwer women in Kenya and their struggle for land rights
Date: 9 December 2016
Source: Forest Peoples Programme
Aerial photos show devastation of Gua Musang logging
By: Faiz Zainudin
Date: 4 December 2016
Source: Freemalaysiatoday
Orang Asli speak of bathing, drinking from muddy waters, as photos prove logging activities destroyed farm lands, disrupted flow of river waters.
U.S. lawmakers urge end to Honduras security aid after murder of land rights activist
By: Chris Arsenault
Date: 13 December 2016
Source: Thomsn Reuters Foundation
A group of U.S. lawmakers is making a year-end push to suspend millions of dollars in military assistance to Honduras, citing mounting human rights concerns, including the murder of high-profile land rights activist Berta Caceres.
India's landmark forest rights law hobbled by conflicting policies - report
By: Rina Chandran
Date: 13 December 2016
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
A landmark Indian forest rights law passed 10 years ago with the aim of protecting indigenous people has been crippled by conflicting legislation, and a lack of political will and funds to ensure its implementation, according to a report.
What will Indigenous treaties mean?
Date: 13 December 2016
Source: ABC.net
Australia is the only Commonwealth country that does not have a treaty with its Indigenous peoples and interestingly, the states are leading the charge, the ABC's editor of Indigenous affairs says.
Stan Grant said there was still a "big debate" around the question of Indigenous recognition in the constitution but several states have begun working on treaties with their Indigenous communities.
Report: Debate on Open Data and Land Governance
Reports & Research
December, 2016
Global
Across most contexts, government data sources on land are largely inaccessible, from land administration data, such as parcel data and ownership information to land investments, contract data and even policy information. In considering data on property ownership specifically, the latest version of the Open Data Barometer shows only two countries, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, obtained a full 100% score on the topic of Land Ownership. When this land administration data is made available, it is commonly made public via a web portal rather than as open data.
Malaysia: the Murut struggle against palm oil, for land and life
By: Sophie Chao
Date: 12 December 2016
Source: Ecologist
Supported by state and national governments, palm oil plantations are advancing over the rainforest hills of Sabah, Malaysia, writes Sophie Chao. In their way: the indigenous Murut of Bigor, whose culture, livelihood and very lives are under threat as forests and farms fall to chainsaws and bulldozers, enriching loggers and distant investors beyond the dreams of avarice.
Deaths of land rights defenders treble in a year as violence surges, says report
By: Rina Chandran
Date: 12 December 2016
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
The battle over land and resources turned bloodier in the past year with treble the number of land rights defenders killed, according to a human rights group that fears the violence will get even worse.
Indigenous land rights key to stopping deforestation in Central America
