Millions of people worldwide depend on natural resources such as land, fisheries and forests that are used collectively as commons. Commons are essential to culture, identity and well-being. As a source of food and income, they are an important safety-net, especially for the most marginalized and vulnerable people. The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security provide a historic opportunity to recognize and secure tenure rights to commons.

The paper is part of a joint presentation with Marius Grønning at the 5th International and Interdisciplinary Symposium of the European Academy of Land Use and Development (EALD) held in Oslo 3-5 September 2015.

Paper presented at a Workshop at Universidad Publica de Navarra (Navarre Public University), Pamplona-Iruña (Spain), November 5-7, 2009.

Forests at the tropical Valley of the Apurimac and Ene rivers (VRAE), the second coca-growing region of Peru, are public common resources and nevertheless privately managed mainly by coca farmers, without effective State control of such use. The need for survival of the coca farmers, their chrematistic perception of the forest, the cultivation of cocoa (theobroma cacao) and land availability are crucial factors influencing the rates of deforestation of primary and secondary forest. Variables such as the legality of land tenure seem to have no influence.

As India continues to urbanize and move
towards a less agricultural- and more industry-based
economy, land demands will continue to grow. Its urban
population is expected to increase by more than 200 million
by 2030, requiring 4 to 8 million hectares of land for
residential use alone. Demands for infrastructure and
industry could add a similar amount, summing to total land
demand of 5 to10 percent of the land area currently used for

The framework for analyzing sustainability of social-ecological systems (SES) framework of Elinor Ostrom is a multitier collection of concepts and variables that have proven to be relevant for understanding outcomes in diverse SES. The first tier of this framework includes the concepts resource system (RS) and resource units (RU), which are then further characterized through lower tier variables such as clarity of system boundaries and mobility.

The adoption and adaptation of enclosures in the arid and semi-arid rangelands of sub-Saharan Africa is driven and
sustained by a combination of factors. However, reviews indicate that these factors cannot be generalized, as they
tend to be case specific. A study was therefore conducted to explore the history and reasons for enclosure establishment
in Chepareria, a formerly degraded communal rangeland in north-western Kenya. While Vi-Agroforestry Organization
accounting for 52.5 % was the main source of knowledge on enclosure establishment; it has now emerged

The adoption and adaptation of enclosures in the arid and semi-arid rangelands of sub-Saharan Africa is driven and
sustained by a combination of factors. However, reviews indicate that these factors cannot be generalized, as they
tend to be case specific. A study was therefore conducted to explore the history and reasons for enclosure establishment
in Chepareria, a formerly degraded communal rangeland in north-western Kenya. While Vi-Agroforestry Organization
accounting for 52.5 % was the main source of knowledge on enclosure establishment; it has now emerged

Esta es la historia de la Comunidad Indígena Yvyratymi (Vega Cué), en Paraguay, que apenas logró recuperar una parte de su territorio, 205 hectáreas. Se trata de su retorno y el arraigo al territorio como el principio de la reconstrucción de su identidad y la armonía en sus vidas. La titulación de sus tierras se concretó en 2006, con el apoyo y gestión constante de las Carmelitas Misioneras.

Esta es la historia de la Comunidad Indígena Yvyratymi (Vega Cué), en Paraguay, que apenas logró recuperar una parte de su territorio, 205 hectáreas. Se trata de su retorno y el arraigo al territorio como el principio de la reconstrucción de su identidad y la armonía en sus vidas. La titulación de sus tierras se concretó en 2006, con el apoyo y gestión constante de las Carmelitas Misioneras.

This report explores some of the key issues to consider when supporting new land-based social enterprises. The findings are drawn from interviews with 13 representatives from social enterprises who received direct technical, business and training support from Shared Assets between 2013-15.