Forest Tenure

Seri Kajian SHK Edisi 1 memuat mengenai isu implementasi REDD+ di Indonesia. Dalam hal ini, kawasan hutan merupakan arena utama bagaimana REDD+ diterjemahkan. Alih-alih sebagai skema jalan tengah antara perbaikan kondisi hutan vs pertumbuhan ekonomi khususnya di desa-desa pinggir hutan melalui carbon market, REDD+ masih menyisakan banyak persoalan dan tentu saja mewarisi persoalan bawaan pengelolaan kawasan hutan di Indonesia.

Partout sur le continent, les Africains sont les témoins que leurs terres agricoles les plus fertiles sont vendues  pour l'industrie mondiale des biocarburants à un rythme sans précédent, ce qui alimente l'anxiété et les troubles sociaux. A Madagascar, l'agitation s'est tant intensifiée en 2008 que les protestations populaires contre une transaction foncière du gouvernement avec la multinationale sud-coréenne Daewoo Ltd ont conduit à un coup d'Etat militaire. En réponse à la crise, un journaliste de Bloomberg Businessweek a noté, «l'Afrique est devenue le champ de bataille des biocarburants. « Comment les Africains réagissent aux récentes transactions foncières à grande échelle, avec une résistance largement répandue, ou l'assentiment général? Quelle est la nature de la résistance sociale et de la politique émergente? Est-ce que les politiques en matière de propriété foncière et les institutions en place sont adéquates pour protéger les Africains de la saisie des terres? Cette étude porte sur le champ de bataille des biocarburants bien connus à Madagascar, en soulignant le premier cas de résistance sociale réussie contre l’accaparement des terres contemporaines. Compte-tenu de la récente critique des agrocarburants, les producteurs ont commencé à s'éloigner des acquisitions commerciales à grande échelle et à intégrer la petite production allant avec le développement économique et social. Parallèlement à cette nouvelle vague du capitalisme des agrocarburants, il ya une pression à sécuriser  les droits  et à stimuler l'investissement dans les terres et les marchés, et alors que les projets d'aide étrangère commencent à aborder les droits fonciers à Madagascar, la plupart de ses zones agricoles restent sous les régimes fonciers extrêmement complexes imbriquant des revendications étatiques et coutumières. Alors que les visions concurrentes de la titrisation des terres apparaissent, d'importantes questions demeurent quant à savoir si de nouvelles lois sont une alternative adéquate pour protéger les paysans malgaches contre la dépossession de leurs moyens d'existence sous le capitalisme d'agrocarburants. Je démontre comment les nouvelles réformes agraires ont contribué à créer un climat de confusion et de méfiance et ont facilité l'accès à la terre et à la main d'œuvre par la fracture des relations sociales précaires et par la promotion de la différenciation rurale.

Within the framework of the study of the process of state and Creole expansion towards the south of Buenos Aires county during the 19th century, we analyze indigenous mobility and territoriality, as well as its interaction with other border agents. We follow a multidisciplinary approach focused in Azul, Tapalqué and Olavarría, that constituted the nucleus of the “indios amigos” settlements until the end of that century. Through the intensive use of a varied range of documentary sources (registers and censuses of population, earth measurements, cartographic material, traveler stories, official letters, etc.) complemented with the analysis of the archaeological record, the work shows the lapses and limitations of the official sources opposite to the material reality. Besides, bearing in mind the regional and temporary specificities of the case studied, we rescue “illiterate” people like active agents of the contemporary historical processes.

Internal territorialisation or the formalisation of forest rights has led to increased state ownership in many countries, often ignoring traditional or customary tenure and land use. Because of its roots in a formal government process, the disjuncture between formal rights and local practices may be seen as unproblematic to policymakers, even though it harms the livelihoods of marginalised forest dwellers. In India in 2006, this situation was sought to be addressed by the passage of the Forest Rights Act, which acknowledged the injustices of the territorialisation process and aimed to restore some rights over forest use to forest-dwelling people. In this paper we examine the history of the territorialisation process in forested areas in the state of Orissa, India, and its implications for local inhabitants’ land rights and livelihoods. We use archival research and case studies to examine how imposition of formal land tenure in forested areas failed to recognise rights and led to exclusion, contestation and conflict. The archival research and the case studies were among the evidence presented in the Indian Parliament in support of passage of the 2006 law. They demonstrate the important role that researchers can play in the political process through careful documentation targeted at policymakers.

In Peru, since 1974, more than 1,200 communities have been titled in the Amazon for over 12 million hectares, representing about 20% of the country’s national forest area. This working paper analyzes policy and regulatory changes that have influenced how indigenous peoples access, use and manage forest and land resources in the Peruvian Amazon during the last fifty years. It reviews the main motivations behind changes, the institutional structures defined by law and the outcomes of these changes in practice. The paper discusses political priorities related to land and forest tenure, social actors involved in reform debates and the mechanisms used for recognizing indigenous rights claims. The paper argues that there has not been a single reform process in Peru; instead multiple reforms have shaped forest tenure rights, contributing to both progress and setbacks for indigenous people and communities. This working paper is part of a global comparative research initiative that is analyzing reform processes that recognize collective tenure rights to forests and land in six countries in highly forested regions.

This paper focuses on possible scenarios of land use and land tenure in the event of a permanent sea level rise on Wallis Island, part of the French Overseas Territory Wallis and Futuna in the South Pacific. This island holds a unique place in the French system, having its own king and a traditional power structure relying on Polynesian traditions. Land issues are managed through customary law, and this system offers flexible opportunities that can respond to contextual need. Land tenure is based on lines of descent; those who are ‘part of’ a certain land parcel are identified through his or her ancestry. This traditional system needs to be analysed as regards its effectiveness and its ability to respond to new environmental and political challenges. Local resource use, and shifting residency and agriculture patterns challenge land tenure. With the majority of the population inhabiting the coastline, potential migration opportunities to the higher interior of the island within the residents’ own properties in the event of sea level rise need to be explored. Every Wallisian has access to several land parcels, which are distributed across the island.