High elevation páramo (wetland) ecosystems in the Andes are important water sources for local communities and downstream agricultural and urban users. These headwater catchments, however, are often impacted by human activities (eg agricultural production) that affect both stream water quality and flow. Knowledge about water availability, quality, and use is essential for effective management but is often lacking, particularly in smaller mountain communities.

A new design of windmill under trial in Zimbabwe

The articles in this volume supplement FAO Land Tenure Studies 10, Compulsory acquisition of land and compensation. The latter publication explains what compulsory acquisition and compensation are and what constitutes good practice in this area. This current volumes introductory article provides an overview of these issues. The issue of compulsory acquisition from a human rights perspective is also addressed here as are the concepts of market value, compensation value and just terms compensation.

The availability and quality of clean water in many regions of the world is more and more threatened by overuse, misuse and pollution. In this context, the relationship between forests and water must be accorded high priority. Forested catchments supply a high proportion of the water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and ecological needs in both upstream and downstream areas. A key challenge faced by land, forest and water managers is to maximize the benefits that forests provide without detriment to water resources and ecosystem function.

A quarterly news bulletin dedicated to the exchange of information relating to wildlife and national resources management for the Asia-Pacific region.

This note has been prepared for the plenary session of the European Forest Week on “Forests and Water” taking place on Thursday, 23 October 2008 1 . Its objective is to stimulate a lively and well informed discussion by providing the reader with background information and proposing questions which participants in the session may wish to address during the discussion. The note presents linkages between the forest and water sectors, discusses collaboration between the communities and presents international legal and policy frameworks.

Through a conceptual analysis based on international treaties and instruments and through two country studies, this study explores the relationship between human rights, particularly the right to adequate food, and access to natural resources with specific focus on land.

Aquaculture in the Southeast Asian region has been growing steadily over the last few decades, requiring more space to accommodate it. The search for additional areas to expand the aquaculture industry as a whole and the identification of new farming species of commercial value to satisfy the growing local and export markets are pushing the sector in some countries to broaden activities in the sea, including further offshore where more space is available and where, to a lesser extent, competition is currently not so intense.

A quarterly news bulletin dedicated to the exchange of information relating to wildlife and national resources management for the Asia-Pacific region.