This paper presents information illustrating how trade in timber, gems, and gold is financing violent conflict, including widespread and gross human rights abuses, in Burma. It argues that although trade in these conflict goods accounts for a small percentage of the total global trade, it…

This paper examines the impact of land reform in Vietnam which gives households the power to exchange, transfer, lease, inherit, and mortgage their land-use rights. The authors expect this change to increase the incentives as well as the ability to undertake long-term investments on the part of…

With an estimated 40 percent of people in Africa, South America and Asia living in drylands, land degradation poses a significant threat to food security and survival. This report looks at the relationship between gender and dryland management based on an analysis of field experiences in Africa…

This report summarises two separate Friends of the Earth reports on, respectively, the increasing demand for palm oil in developed countries, and the social and environmental impacts of palm oil cultivation in Southeast Asia - focussing particularly on Indonesia. Based on an analysis of the…

This report presents a collection of case studies which focus on processes of conflict management and resolution and the different ways and means that conflicts are addressed. The authors examine the intervention strategies, methods and tools employed by different actors, as well as the…

This paper examines case studies from Asia and Latin America to show the possibilities for states to tap into community-level energies and resources for development if they seek to interact more synergistically with local communities.Using case studies from Asia and Latin America, the report…

This report examines evidence of illegal logging that Global Witness has submitted to the Royal Government of Cambodia as part of the Forest Crimes Monitoring and Reporting Project and reviews the action and inaction of the government in each of the cases

Short critique of Burmese land and agricultural policy, as implemented in recent years by the military government (State Law and Order Restoration Council - SLORC)

How can the process of tropical deforestation be controlled? We now know a good deal about the causes of deforestation but not its control. Research from the University of Leeds in Thailand and the Philippines fills this gap, showing that changes in the domestic political scene explain how…

What factors motivate developing countries to prevent deforestation, which can cause serious environmental damage, such as flooding? Do democratic states take action more effectively than authoritarian states? This paper considers these questions using two case studies: the 1988 floods in…

Joint report from Forest Watch Indonesia, World Resources Institute and Global Forest Watch. It provides a detailed analysis of the scale and pace of change affecting Indonesia’s forests. The report concludes that the doubling of deforestation rates in Indonesia is largely the result of a…

Overview of the rangelands of the Jianshe region of China which discusses the environmental and social issues associated with the pastoralist land use in the area. The paper outlines the ecological typology of the rangelands and discusses the history of pastoralism as context for an exploration…