Land secures the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC) and is closely linked to their history, traditions and cultural identity. At the same time, their land management plays a crucial role in the conservation of ecosystems, biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources. Recognizing the legitimate tenure rights of IPLC is therefore necessary from a human rights perspective and a prerequisite for achieving the goals of the three internationally binding conventions on combating desertification (UNCCD), biodiversity (UNCBD) and climate change (UNFCCC).
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) took a landmark decision on land rights in 2019. With the 'Land Tenure Decision', signatory parties have committed to protect people's legitimate land rights in areas they have designated for land degradation neutrality (LDN) actions. What does this decision mean for people on the ground?
With funding from Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), civil society organizations and local communities in selected landscapes in Benin, Kenya, Madagascar and Malawi have used participatory mapping to measure the impact of government LDN programmes - large-scale landscape restoration initiatives - on legitimate tenure rights. We support the organisations to disseminate the mapping methodology through train-the-trainer programmes at the local level and to share their findings and experiences at the regional level through multi-stakeholder dialogues. Further civil society organisations from Niger, Togo, Uganda and Zambia have been involved in the development of the network. They are coordinating their positions on the implementation of national LDN programmes and are involved in participatory processes in their countries as well as in the UNCCD process.The aim is to achieve recognition of IPLC’s legitimate tenure rights in the implementation of land restoration measures and to identify the synergies between sustainable land use by IPLC and landscape restoration targets.
The project is coordinated by TMG Research and CADASTA in partnership with the civil society organizations APIC Benin, Kenya Land Alliance, Land Landscape Development, Madagascar, and Total Land Care, Malawi, and in collaboration with local communities and policy actors.
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