Communities in biodiverse Tanintharyi Region are spurning big, top-down projects and seeking recognition for their own approach to conservation.

From its forested borderlands in the east, to vast mangrove forests and hundreds of island ecosystems in the Andaman Sea to the west, Tanintharyi Region is a bastion of nature and biodiversity. The region is home to one of the largest remaining expanses of intact low-elevation evergreen forest in Southeast Asia, a stronghold for endangered and endemic species including tigers, tapirs and pangolins.

YANGON—A Kachin lawmaker voiced concerns in the Upper House of Parliament about an Australian-backed company’s plan to conduct a feasibility study for a large-scale mining exploration project in an area of Myanmar’s northernmost township with snow-capped mountains and a largely untouched environment.

Fitch Ratings-Hong Kong-06 May 2020: China's new policy granting greater autonomy to provincial-level governments over land conversions and farmland acquisitions will assist fiscal and economic performance in the medium to long term, via increased governance efficiency of land management on the local level, Fitch Ratings says. Still, Fitch believes the reforms maintain the protection of farmland as a top priority, thus an aggressive conversion plan at the national level appears unlikely for environmental and agricultural reasons.

Global food and agri-business Olam International Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary, Olam Treasury Pte. Ltd. (“OTPL”), have secured multi-tranche financing facilities (the “Facilities”) aggregating US$176.0 million from the International Finance Corporation (“IFC”) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (“JICA”). 

The Facilities consist of two tranches – a 5-year term loan of US$120.0 million and a 7-year term loan of US$56.0 million. 

The people of Ajaji community in Illah, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, are not happy with the state government. Right under their nose, the state government allegedly leased out a large chunk of their land to a private firm with interest in agriculture.

Trouble started several years ago when Delta was yet to be carved out of the defunct Mid-West  Region. At the time, there was a land dispute between three communities, including Ajaji in Illah, Ogbe-Onihe in Akwukwu-Igbo and Ugbolu.

Authorities in Laos’ Luang Prabang province arrested three rural villagers for trespassing after they tried to mine gold on land granted in a concession to a Chinese company, RFA has learned.

The villagers, from Phapon village in Luang Prabang’s Pak Ou district, were initially detained by Chinese employees of the Thian Chin Huakjan-Lao mining company. The Lao authorities arrived later to take them in. They were accused of illegally mining gold on the concession land.

For a commercial farm investor, who by profession is an agricultural economist, putting his money and energy into commercial farming demonstrates keen interest. Not only was he born into a family of farmers who have been involved in the development of commercial farms but he too has been involved in sectors that are more close to his passion and ambition.

Villagers in Laos say a Chinese-owned banana plantation in has unfairly acquired the land of 46 families in the northern part of the country, many of whom were coerced by authorities into selling for a miniscule compensation package

The 46 families sold 60 hectares (148 acres) of their land in Houy Or Village, located in Bokeo province’s Meung district. They were offered what some say is a paltry 11 million kip ($1,200) per family.

The nature  and scale of investments in land in developing countries has divided opinion  many contexts, especially where local people depend on access to land for agriculture.

The Land Portal Foundation seeks dynamic and highly motivated Coordinator to establish and lead an international land-related Network of  Researchers to scale up the land data and information available on the Land Portal and to cement the Land Portal’s role as a reputable sources of well-founded and accessible land information. This is a part- time position (i.e. 2 days/week) for a 12-month period, with the possibility of renewal based on performance. Women and people from the Global South are encouraged to apply.

There has been much hype about a major Africa investment summit being hosted by the UK. Attended by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and an array of royals, a great deal of hopeful win-win-win rhetoric abounded linked to forging new partnerships for a post-Brexit future.