We are celebrating the Land Portal's 80th country profile -- Iraq -- and the 79 that stand behind it. This rich collection represents seven years of work and underpins the Land Portal's commitment to making land information open and accessible. We publish profiles in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, and recently added Arabic to meet users' needs in the Arab region.   The 80 countries in our compendium amount to a story about the land that is home for 73% of the global population. Country profiles on the Land Portal are some of the best gateways to understanding land governance in a given country. Rigorously researched, written, and peer-reviewed, these comprehensive guides touch on history, politics, and culture, and are aimed at experts and casual readers alike.  As the Land Portal develops the State of Land Information Index (SOLIndex), these profiles will provide important context to understanding country scoring. They clarify what roles land plays in the economy, politics, culture, and the environment.    "If you want to understand the situation of land governance in a country, the Land Portal has the best resources anywhere. We dare you to not learn something new as you browse the collection!" -- Romy Sato, head of the Country Profiles initiative.

Much arable land in developing countries is inefficiently managed or lies fallow: Since this became the accepted, World Bank-endorsed narrative in 2008, it has shaped the agricultural policies of many developing countries. At the same time, it has opened the doors to private investors seeking to acquire land for the long term. A country that has relied heavily on this model is Lao PDR. The Southeast Asian country has managed to generate an economic boom, reducing poverty and creating a significant number of jobs in rural areas. A Lao researcher examined the data as part of his doctoral studies at CDE, University of Bern, – and the results are sobering.  

On 29 September, Zimbabwe granted a UAE-based firm conservation rights over 7.5 million hectares of its forests – about 20% of the country’s landmass. Under the deal, touted to be worth $1.5 billion, Blue Carbon General Trading will run forest preservation projects that will generate carbon credits to be sold on the global market.

Carbon and nature offsetting perpetuates business as usual in a broken system, and will not fix the climate crisis

Laos’ forest coverage has reached a record low of 40%, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to implement conservation measures and rejuvenation plans to protect and revive the country’s forests.

              

Government development and industrial concessions have also contributed to forest losses.

From Zimbabwe, Nhau Mangirazi tells the story of how beekeeping revives forest in the Hurungwe district, published by The Standard. Apiculture not only preserves the forest from tobacco farming – the main cause of deforestation in the area – and serves as a bio-fence acting as a buffer zone between humans and wild animals, it also brings an extra source of income to the locals, many of the beneficiaries women. 

Reforestation using the Miyawaki method seeks to restore nature to its original state with results that can be seen in around six years. Miyawaki works around three concepts: trees should be native, several species should be randomly planted, and the materials for the seedlings and the soil should be organic. The method is suitable for urban areas, which gives it a significant capacity to connect human beings with nature, with benefits for the health and well-being of the population. Different from other reforestation methods that may seek a financial return, like agroforestry, the motivation of the Miyawaki method is purely ecological.

A move last year by the Bangladesh government to erase protections for a swath of reserved forest and award it to the country’s soccer federation for a training facility garnered outrage — but is only one example of how protected forests across the country continue to be degraded.

To create housing, maintain its negative carbon status and sustainably manage its forests, Bhutan is embarking on creating a climate-smart forest economy.

Farmers say oil giant’s tree-planting scheme has barred them from their fields and threatens livelihoods