Livelihood, Land Use and Customary Tenure in KHUPRA: Report of a Participatory Action Research

ABSTRACTED FROM INTRODUCTION: This report is the result of a participatory action research (PAR) conducted by members of Khupra community and Karuna Mission Social Solidarity-Loikaw (KMSS-Loikaw) Livelihood Program team between October 2015 to November 2016. In its first field work, the research team was joined by members of the Indigenous Peoples/Ethnic Nationalities (IP/EN) network who had attended the preparatory training. The PAR is one of the components of the project that supports indigenous communities in Kayah/Karenni state to document and seek official recognition of their customary land and natural resource rights and management practices. This report contains the findings of the PAR and is part of the evidence compiled by Khupra community that is proof of the community’s long and close relationship to and dependence on its land and resources. The PAR report is complemented by a detailed map showing key features of Khupra territory such as settlement sites or sacred sites, and the current land use system. This map was also made in a participatory manner with community members and KMSS-Loikaw staff. A copy of this map is included in this report.