Protecting the Roots of a Sacred Tree
With USAID support, an Afro-Colombian community received a collective land title, guaranteeing ownership of their traditional lands.
With USAID support, an Afro-Colombian community received a collective land title, guaranteeing ownership of their traditional lands.
Traditional authorities in Zambia complain that the government does not consult them when land is allocated for investment projects, while communities say chiefs are neglecting their interests. Jesinta Kunda of Zambia Land Alliance says more clarity is needed on the role of traditional authorities, in law and practice, to ensure large-scale investments in agriculture, mining and other sectors are governed better – particularly in light of the rising demand for critical minerals found in Zambia. She urges the government, traditional leaders and citizens to seize the opportunities presented by current legal reforms in Zambia to create change.
Climate change poses an existential threat to ecosystems, with potentially far-reaching impacts on agriculture, forestry, wind and solar energy, and other land-based investments. These investments can also further exacerbate detrimental climate change impacts if they are not sustainably implemented.
Desde una comunidad en el corazón de la crisis climática, la lideresa guaraní Mariela Melgar Ibáñez cree que las mujeres indígenas tienen la clave para resolver la crisis climática. “El mundo debe conocer nuestras formas de vida y el rol que tenemos dentro de el cuidado del medio ambiente; Las mujeres somos fundamentales, luchamos por el territorio.”
Two years after international donors pledged $1.7 billion to Indigenous Peoples at COP26, a recognition of their crucial role in protecting biodiversity and carbon capture, there has been good progress in preparing the systems needed for the money to be disbursed.
In a thought-provoking webinar moderated by Nolundi Luwaya, Director of the Land and Accountability Research Centre at the University of Cape Town, experts from across Africa convened to unravel the complexities of the role of traditional authorities in land-based investment governance. This event brought to light the unique challenges and strategies employed by traditional authorities in managing land-based investments.
By Rosa Olokweni, Gender and Land Champion, WOLTS Project Tanzania
Before HakiMadini and WOLTS came to Mundarara, it was as though women in our village were sleeping. None of us was aware of our rights to land, many of us were mistreated by our husbands and we never spoke in meetings.
Odgerel describes the changes he is making to tackle land degradation in his herding community since becoming a gender and land champion.
P. Purevdolgor describes the impact of becoming a gender and land champion in her Mongolian herding community.