This article is about the strategic use of adat arguments in the politics of large-scale land acquisition. While customary (adat) communities are commonly depicted as small local minorities living in the forests and being guardians of the environment, in many situations such communities occupy a majority position within the district. Majority adat communities are internally differentiated into categories of actors with varying and conflicting interests. This article focuses on Sumba in eastern Indonesia, where state and adat powers are not opposed but historically aligned.

Land in Cameroon is under growing pressure for many reasons — powerful commercial interests, changing climate conditions and shifting demographic flows including mass migration and increasing population density. The rights of rural communities and indigenous people to access and use land for farming and grazing have been eroded — primarily due to failure to recognise customary land tenure rights, land use conflicts and lack of effective local governance. The country’s land legislation is indeed outdated and not compatible with customary law and local realities.

This policy brief was developed in order to enable a meaningful engagement and policy dialogue with government institutions and other relevant stakeholders about challenges and opportunities related to recognizing customary tenure in Viet Nam.

Land has played a critical role in the development of the United Republic of Tanzania, with the roots of land tenure frameworks, issues and conflicts dating back hundreds of years Current land laws in the country are seen as progressive policies and legislation recognize the equal rights to land of men and women, including unregistered rights under customary laws, and any transfer of rights requires the consent of local people In practice, however, land tenure rights are disputed among village, district and national administrative authorities, and conflicts over land are common, widespread

This report is based on 10 research projects carried out in 18 sites in seven countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam. The studies formed the basis of ten informational briefs from the research sites published together with the report (available here: https://www.recoftc.org/publications/0000432). Each study documented the legal frameworks and customary practices that affect indigenous women’s rights to access and manage forest resources and create restrictions on those rights.

Globally, about 2 billion people claim ownership of their homes and lands through a customary tenure system. Customary tenure has long been insecure and is under growing pressure in many places. But it is also increasingly recognized through a variety of mechanisms, formal and informal. RECOFTC released a new report on the recognition of customary tenure of communities living in forested landscapes in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Viet Nam. It also includes a case study from Thailand.

Les Pygmées ont intégré les pratiques culturales et les connaissances des Non-pygmées relatives à l’agriculture itinérante sur brûlis mais semblent également avoir mobilisé des savoirs propres concernant le sol et le fonctionnement de la forêt.

La présente loi fixe la procédure de l’immatriculation de la propriété foncière. Cette procédure consiste dans l’établissement et l’enregistrement d’un titre de propriété appelé titre foncier. Par ailleurs, en ce qui concerne toute terre non immatriculée (vacante et sans maître, à moins que ne soit rapportée la preuve du contraire), elle prévoit la constatation et régime des droits coutumiers par une commission dont la composition est fixée par décret.

La présente loi fixe les modalités et les conditions de l’expropriation de droit commun; l’expropriation des terrains ruraux (absence de mise en valeur); le déguerpissement; alignation-servitudes d’utilité publique; et les cas de constatation des droits coutumiers.

This book is a cross-cultural endeavour to promote global strategies for enhancing security of tenure in the Muslim world. It addresses the gap in both the human rights and Islamic literature on land and property issues.