Should Ongoing Land Deals in the Congo Basin be Criminalized?

Africa is currently experiencing what can be called its “third great land transformation.” This follows the first one inaugurated by colonial powers, and a second one launched by postcolonial states for developmental and infrastructural purposes. The 21st century wave of land grabs, which has exploded in recent years, constitutes the third.

What Do Land Rights Mean to Women in Africa?

We asked women from across Africa what secure land rights mean for them, their communities, and their countries. Here’s what they had to say:

Quarterly Update 2013.4
Quarterly Update 2013.4

2013 saw a lot of serious progress in forest tenure reform: legal judgments that upheld the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities; successful local…

Samdhana Institute joins RRI coalition
Samdhana Institute joins RRI coalition

In January RRI welcomed The Samdhana Institute as the newest Partner in the Rights and Resources Initiative coalition.   Samdhana's vision is a region where natural”…

Land  encroachment threatens Nepalese forest communities
Land encroachment threatens Nepalese forest communities

The forests of Nepal are under threat.  Due to illegal encroachment and timber extraction” the livelihoods of community forest users are being challenged.  In a…

Villagers help expose illegal logging in Indonesia
Villagers help expose illegal logging in Indonesia

In films recently released in Jakarta and London” Indonesian villagersin Papua helped expose illegal logging and forest devastation by usingdigital and video cameras to record…

Community forestry bill passed in Thailand
Community forestry bill passed in Thailand

On November 21st the Thai National Legislative Assembly passed a community forestry bill that grants legal rights to forest communities to preserve and manage forest…