A landmark report from the Oakland Institute, Taking On the Logging Pirates: Land Defenders in Papua New Guinea Speak Out! elevates the voices of communities across the country who are opposing the theft of their land, made possible by the corrupt practices of local officials and foreign companies.

Conclusions: "Amnesty International’s latest research shows that hundreds of people close to the giant Letpadaung mine continue to face the risk of forced eviction from their farmland, and in the case of four villages, from their homes as well. In addition, thousands of people living in the area are at risk from Myanmar Wanbao’s inadequate management of environmental risk at the Letpadaung mine, which is situated in a flood and earthquake-prone area. The ESIA for the mine contains fundamental gaps and weaknesses, which Myanmar Wanbao has still not addressed.

This latest discussion document explores the plan by The Navigator Company to develop a new pulp mill in Mozambique. The Portuguese company, operating as Portucel Mozambique and with funding from the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, is acquiring huge areas of land for establishing eucalyptus tree plantations to supply the mill.

After an initial plenary session on developments in access to land and natural resources in the different continents, the workshop participants were given the opportunity to give their many personal accounts, describe the various forms of land grabbing and concentration, discuss the scope of the processes under way and question whether the tools available to quantify them were adequate.

In the same way as other resources, forest territories are being grabbed. Companies, often with the support of States, degrade these territories and deprive local people of their homes or resources on which their living conditions depend.

We are currently seeing the development of a set of laws and practices preventing artisanal fishermen and their communities from having rights to fishing stock. The topic of halieutic resources generally provokes little interest when raised in relation to natural resources grabbing, despite the fact that millions of people’s income earning rely on fishing and aquaculture1. In the same way, fishing is vital to ensuring global food security. In many countries, fish is the largest source of high-quality animal protein for people and form an important part of their diet.

Los territorios forestales, al igual que el resto de los recursos, están acaparados. Algunas empresas, muy a menudo con el apoyo de los estados, los degradan y despojan a las poblaciones locales de su ámbito natural o de los recursos de los que dependen sus condiciones de vida.

Au même titre que les autres ressources, les territoires forestiers sont accaparés. Des entreprises, souvent avec l'appui des États, dégradent ces territoires et dépossèdent les populations locales de leurs lieux de vie ou des ressources dont dépendent leurs conditions de vie. Ces territoires sont mis en péril par des concessions d'exploitation des forêts et des ressources minières, des projets hydroélectriques ou d’infrastructures de transport, des concessions touristiques, de chasse, par l'expansion des surfaces agricoles ou encore l'exploitation illégale de bois.

On assiste actuellement au développement d’un ensemble de lois et de pratiques qui excluent les pêcheurs artisanaux et leurs communautés du contrôle des ressources halieutiques. Lorsque l’on évoque les phénomènes d’accaparements, un intérêt très faible et secondaire est généralement accordé à la question des ressources halieutiques. Pourtant, la pêche et l’aquaculture sont à la base de la survie économique de millions de personnes1. De même, l’activité halieutique est essentielle pour garantir la sécurité alimentaire mondiale.

Asistimos actualmente al desarrollo de un conjunto de leyes y de prácticas que excluyen a los pescadores artesanales y a sus comunidades del control de los recursos pesqueros. Cuando se trata el tema de los fenómenos de acaparamiento, la cuestión de los recursos pesqueros se considera secundaria y despierta escaso interés. Sin embargo, la pesca y la acuicultura son fundamentales para la supervivencia económica de millones de personas1 . Además, la actividad pesquera resulta esencial para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria mundial.

Processes of land grabbing and accumulation have greatly threatened small-scale family-based agriculture and societies overall. The destruction of small-scale agriculture can be attributed to national and international policies which actively support the development of a capitalist agriculture with employees.

Les processus d’accaparement et de concentration des terres font peser sur l’agriculture familiale paysanne et les sociétés dans leur ensemble de lourdes menaces. La destruction de l’agriculture paysanne est à imputer aux politiques internationales et nationales soutenant activement le développement d’une agriculture capitaliste à salariés.