A giant earthquake occurred off Sumatra Island of Indonesia, on December 26, 2004. The earthquake, an interplate event, caused by the subduction of Indo-Australian) plate beneath the Andaman (or Burma) microplate was the largest in size (Mw 9.1) in the world for the last 40 years. While the epicenter was located west off Sumatra Island, the aftershock zone extended through the Nicobar to the Andaman Islands. This earthquake generated a tsunami which devastated the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, and Thailand as far as the east coast of Africa.

The current volume presents the Proceedings of an important meeting entitled "Regional Expert Consultation on Land Degradation, Plant, Animal and Human Nutrition: Inter-relation and Impact". This scientific gathering managed to have a group of soil scientists/plant nutrition specialists, animal nutrition and medical doctors/human nutrition specialists to discuss these inter-related issues.

SUMMARY:
"Myanmar is one of the most forested countries in
mainland South-east Asia. These forests support a
large number of important species and endemics and
have great value for global efforts in biodiversity
conservation. Landsat satellite imagery from the
1990s and 2000s was used to develop a countrywide
forest map and estimate deforestation. The country
has retained much of its forest cover, but forests
have declined by 0.3% annually. Deforestation varied
considerably among administrative units, with central

Having enough water for food production is a key issue in many countries. As water becomes scarce and food requirements increase, there will be a need to produce more food using less water, to protect the quality of water and the environment, particularly in Africa. To achieve this, it will be necessary to improve women’s access rights to water.Research from
the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations looks at the
issues facing poor communities, and especially women, trying to ensure access

The conference was part of a series of activities by ACTS seeking to improve knowledge on the links between natural resources and violent conflict. Includes full conference papers on Burundi, Eastern DRC, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe, North Kivu, as well as overview papers on a research agenda on land tenure and land reform, human-centred environmental security, Oxfam GB and land in post-conflict situations in Africa, and group discussion reports, conclusions, references.

Includes the pastoral land question – recognition in law and policy, establishment of protected areas, access and ownership of land, land use and sustainability. Pastoral rights in policy – international research and regional developments, conceptual framework for the Policy, Policy goal, principles and objectives – land and sustainable livelihoods, land tenure, land markets, land administration, land use and management, natural resources and environment.

This summary of the Report of the Ndungu Commission on Illegal and Irregular Allocation of Public Land provides an insight into a critical recent episode in the struggles over land and graft in Kenya. Includes land and demography in Kenya; the law relating to the allocation of land; the Commission’s findings – (1) urban, state and ministries’ land, (2) settlement schemes and trust lands, (3) forest lands, national parks, wetlands, riparian resources and protected areas; the Commission’s recommendations; commentary.

The Order regulates soil conservation measures after toxic or radioactive degradation. It consists of eight articles: General provisions (1); Purpose (2); Scope of application (3); Conservation and improvement measures of soil that has been contaminated with toxic or radioactive substances (4); Conservation and improvement measures of soil after natural disasters (5); Financing of soil conservation and improvement measures (6); Control and liability (7); and Amendments and additions to the Order (8). The purpose of the document is to discover and timely conserve contaminated soil.

The Regulations establish a scheme (the “Environmental Stewardship”) under which the Secretary of State may make grants for the management of land. Regulation 3 enables the Secretary of State to make a grant to any person who enters into, and complies with, the conditions of an environmental stewardship agreement with the Secretary of State. The agreement must require the beneficiary to carry out an activity which is conducive to a specified purpose on land in which he has an interest. It also provides for the variation of the conditions of such agreements.

For women in rural China, inheritance rights are often limited by traditional customs which give greater benefits to men. Although this is being challenged by new laws that recognise women’s legal rights, increased access for women to jobs and education, there is a big gap between legislation and reality.Research from
University College Chester analyses the transfer of resources between
generations within households and village communities in rural China, with
particular reference to Dongdatun, a village in the

Desde la llegada de los españoles Chile ha sufrido grandes cambios en el paisaje forestal, particularmente a partir del siglo XIX. Las grandes pérdidas de bosques fueron causadas originalmente por la apertura de tierras para la agricultura y la ganadería. El período de destrucción indiscriminada de los bosques corresponde a la primera Etapa de "Explotación" de los recursos de acuerdo a la clasificación establecida por Kimmins, para describir el nivel de desarrollo forestal de los países.

This paper reports on a workshop held in Ethiopia in 2004, targeting stakeholders involved in implementing Ethiopia’s National Action Plan (NAP) for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The workshop was based on international, national and regional experiences, principles and practices related to dryland management and combating desertification to the development of community driven processes.