Discusses highlights from a recent academic article exploring whether 3,000 bilateral and regional investment treaties protect ‘land grab’ deals and how these impact the land rights of rural people. Argues that, if not properly thought through, international treaties to protect foreign investment could compound shortcomings of local and national governance, undermining the rights of people impacted by the investments.

Few land disturbances impact watersheds at the scale and extent of mountaintop removal mining (MTM). This practice removes forests, soils and bedrock to gain access to underground coal that results in likely permanent and wholesale changes that impact catchment hydrology, geochemistry and ecosystem health. MTM is the dominant driver of land cover changes in the central Appalachian Mountains region of the United States, converting forests to mine lands and burying headwater streams.

This guide aims to help local organisations, communities and governments to carry out constructive, peaceful engagement and negotiation with companies and government, with the aim of achieving sustainable development and improved quality of life. Its main objectives are:

This report presents the findings of the Yanacocha Independent Fact Finding Mission (the “Mission”), conducted between August 2015 and March 2016. The Mission was tasked with examining a conflict between a multinational gold mining company and a local campesino family, in the high Andes of northern Peru. At the root of the conflict is a dispute over a parcel of land called “Tragadero Grande”. Located within the Campesino Community of Sorochuco, Tragadero Grande falls within the footprint of a planned multi-billion dollar mining project called “Conga”.

Este informe presenta los hallazgos de la Misión Independiente de Constatación de los Hechos de Yanacocha (la «Misión»), realizada entre agosto de 2015 y marzo de 2016. A la Misión se le encargó examinar un conflicto entre una empresa minera aurífera multinacional y una familia campesina local en un área alto andina del norte del Perú. En la raíz del conflicto se encuentra una disputa sobre una parcela de tierra denominada «Tragadero Grande».

This article analyze the promotion of the Peruvian economy from an Administrative Law perspective. Hereof, it describe the main regulations changes which have generated substantial variations in the process for obtaining several permits, such as environmental management intruments and easement rights, needed for the development of investment projects. In general, those changes are related to the reduction of the terms applicable for its obtainting and the elimination of bureaucracy.In this context, the easement right is one of the most important changes.

This document, titled Closing the Enforcement Gap: Groundtruthing of Environmental Violations in Sarguja, Chhattisgarh,is the second in the series of community led groundtruthing exercises carried out by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR)-Namati Environmental Justice Program in partnership with Janabhivyakti and Hasdeo Arand Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (HABSS).

La actividad minera ha impulsado la economía local en naciones desarrolladas y en vías de desarrollo, especialmente en el Cono Sur de América Latina, por atraer capital externo y nuevos actores a las zonas donde se concentra la extracción. Sin embargo, este proceso, particularmente en esta región, ha promovido modalidades de

The West African coastline is home to
major industries, mining activities, peri-urban and
agro-industry, and tourism, as well as urban and seaside
residences, all of which generate waste and cause pollution.
Many areas along the coast also lack adequate wastewater and
solid waste management systems. As a result, large volumes
of untreated wastewater and solid waste are dumped into the
open, polluting the land and water. Water quality studies

THE MINING ACT No. 12 of 2016

Date of Assent: 6th May, 2016

Date of Commencement: 27th May, 2016

This guide seeks to highlight the steps that concerned parties and communities can take to address the challenges that mining poses on communities. It gives communities the tools they need to understand the law that governs mining and to protect their rights. Although it focuses on South Africa, the tools proposed will be relevant for communities facing similar issues in other countries.

This resource is part of the CCSI’s Directory of Community Guidance on Agreements Relating to Agriculture or Forestry Investment.

A broad consensus has emerged that strengthening women’s property rights is crucial for reducing poverty and achieving equitable growth. Despite its importance, few nationally representative data exist on women’s property rights in Asia, hindering formulation of appropriate policies to reduce gender gaps in land rights. This paper reviews existing micro-level, large sample data on men’s and women’s control of land, using this information to assess gaps in land rights.