RECOFTC's regional conflict study examines the drivers and impacts of forest conflict in eight cases in six countries. Findings were presented at the Collective Action, Property Rights and Conflict in Natural Resource Management research workshop in Siem Reap from 28 June - 1July 2010.

This brief summarizes the findings of a full issues paper.

The set of problems involving land property in Latin America has been the subject of controversy, legislation and political struggle ever since the occupation of its territory by the European colonizers in the post-Mercantilism era. In recent years, however, the need for food and energy production, the need for environmental preservation and the speculative use of land, has aroused a new wave of debate over land acquisition.

Since the reform era began in 1978, there have been significant changes in the nature and incidence of disputes, conflicts, and social disturbances, as well as the mechanisms for addressing them. As with economic and governance reforms, the government has adopted a pragmatic, problem-solving approach as it has attempted to meet the broad and, at times, conflicting goals of justice and efficiency while maintaining sociopolitical stability and rapid economic growth.

This bulletin draws on country-level experience to share civil society perspectives on the challenges, opportunities, and possible approaches for pro-poor REDD. As governments begin to formulate their national REDD programs, questions are emerging about the role of local people in design and implementation, and the socio-economic implications for the rural poor. Drawing on experiences from Nepal and Vietnam, this bulletin includes:

This analysis and recommendations stem from USAID/Kenya’s request for an assessment of Kenya’s draft National Land Policy (dNLP).4 It was conducted under the global task order: Property Rights and Resource Governance Program, a mechanism designed and supervised by USAID-EGAT’s Land Resources Management Team under the Office of Natural Resources Management.

Decentralization in natural resource management (NRM) is increasingly promoted as it is believed to offer better management. This study explores the positive and negative aspects of the forestry conflict that sometimes increases with decentralization. Drawing upon the results of a case study from Sumatra, this study examines how forestry conflict under decentralization processes was viewed by stakeholders. The conflict involved a logging company and a local community, and centered on a disputed forest boundary.

ABSTRACTED FROM INTRODUCTION: 

This report provides an in depth analysis of the inheritance rights of children in Sri Lanka. Chapter 2 looks at inheritance rights of children from a human rights perspective. It examines the international human rights instruments which guarantee the right to adequate housing of children and which aim to protect their inheritance rights. It analyses the essential components of the right to adequate housing and looks at Sri Lanka’s obligations to protect and promote these rights.

The article attempts to provide an understanding of the phenomenon of conflict in the Horn of Africa. It identifies and dicusses the political factor as the root cause of the problem of peace and security in the subregion. The paper does not argue that thee is a gap of literature on the conflicts in the Horn of Africa. The argument it is trying to present is taht many of the works on the subject taht the author has consulted and reviewed concentrate on conflict markers such as ethnicity, region, religion, etc.

Forest-based conflict is one of the major global challenges for the international forestry agenda together with poverty, climate change, conservation, and biofuels. In this paper, we will estimate the scope of the problem for people and forests, identify the role of forest rights and tenure as part of the cause of and solution to conflict, and project future challenges.

Illegal logging and its associated trade remains a serious threat to forests and people in Southeast Asia. However, despite having caught the attention of the international community more than a decade ago, the illegal timber trade still accounts for a significant portion of wood and wood products from this region.