New Namati Report on Community Land Registration

Namati, in partnership with the International Development Law Organization, the Sustainable Development Institute, Centro Terro Viva, and the Land and Equity Movement in Uganda, has released ‘Protecting Community Lands and Resources: Evidence from Liberia, Mozambique and Uganda.’ The report documents the experiences of 58 communities supported by the Community Land Titling Initiative with their nations’ community land registration laws. Through...

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Africa BCP Initiative Review in Wa, Ghana

Shea producers from Dafiama meeting with ABCPI participantsThe Natural Justice team was in Wa, Ghana for a review of the first phase of the Africa Biocultural Community Protocols Initiative (ABCPI) on 21-22 June. The meeting included a review of the lessons learned from the first year of the initiative. The review began with reflection by representatives from each of the communities who engaged in the Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) process...

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MSP Review in Wa, Ghana

Shea butter productionThe Natural Justice team was hosted by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) for a gathering in Wa, Ghana from 18-20 June for a review of the multi-stakeholder processes (MSPs) and biocultural community protocols (BCPs) developed over the past year through the Africa BCP Initiative. The gathering began with a review of the BCPs in the process of being developed in the Africa BCP Initiative....

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Major New Publication on Community Protocols, Rights and FPIC

Volume 65 of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), has just been released. Entitled "Biodiversity and Culture: Exploring community protocols, rights and consent", the special issue was guest edited by Krystyna Swiderska (IIED), Kanchi Kohli (Kalpavriksh), Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice), Wim Hiemstra, (COMPAS Network for Endogenous Development),...

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Preparatory Meeting for CBD COP11 in Burundi

From 9-14 June, the African regional preparatory meeting for indigenous peoples and local communities for the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) took place in Bujumbura, Burundi. The meeting was co-hosted by the CBD Secretariat, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative, the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), the Indigenous Information Network (IIN), and the Unissons-nous...

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"Seeds of Freedom"

A new film, "Seeds of Freedom", has been released by the Gaia Foundation and the African Biodiversity Network (ABN) along with GRAIN, Navdanya International and MELCA International. It is narrated by actor Jeremy Irons and features indigenous farmers from the ABN as well as interviews with Dr Vandana Shiva, Percy Schmeiser, Henk Hobbelink and Kumi Naidoo.From seedsoffreedom.info, "Seeds of Freedom charts the story of seed from its roots at the heart of traditional, diversity rich farming systems across the world, to being transformed into a powerful...

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Ashoka Globalizer

Harry Jonas attended the Ashoka Foundation's 6th Globalizer Summit in Geneva. The event focused on rural innovation and farming, and brought together a range of Ashoka Fellows and international advisors to focus on how the Fellows could scale their ideas to better support a range of rural communities and preserve biodiversity. The event included one-on-one sessions with successful entrepreneurs to focus on the critical questions facing Fellows as...

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Africa Workshop for ILCs in Preparation for CBD COP 11

The first of three regional workshops in preparation for the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is taking place from 9-14 June in Bujumbura, Burundi. This workshop has been organized jointly by the CBD Secretariat and the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Capacity Development Initiative and brings together nearly 50 representatives from indigenous and local communities (ILCs) from across the Africa. The...

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Borana BCP Training

From 5-7 July, Natural Justice and Kivulini Trust facilitated a biocultural community protocol (BCP) training workshop for the Borana pastoralist community of the Waso Rangelands, Kenya. The increase in development projects, wildlife conservation areas and influx of other groups in Waso has contributed to the loss of the Borana’s traditional lands and diminished grazing areas for their livestock. This continued loss has led to a slow decline in...

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Final FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure

Farmer in Uganda. Photo via fao.orgThe Committee on World Food Security (CFS) endorsed the ‘Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security’ on 11 May.  The process of developing the guidelines was initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in 2009 and was finalised by CFS lead negotiations involving governments, civil society,...

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New RRI Report on Forest Tenure Rights

With over 50 new laws passed to protect forest tenure rights and an increase from 10-15% to 21-31% of forest owned or controlled by Indigenous Peoples and forest communities from 1992 to today, there has been significant progress. This is not only a significant advance for communities, it also strengthens conservation as community managed forests outperformed public protected areas in preventing deforestation. Unfortunately, much of this progress...

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Special Rapporteurs Warn on Large-Scale Land Acquisitions

In Meruake, Indonesia, 1-2 million hectares of rainforest and small-scale farming plots are being converted into export-led crop and agrofuel plantations, potentially impacting the food security of up to 50,000 people. Three thousand hectares of land in the Isabella region of the Philippines has already been converted to sugar cane production for agrofuels, with a further 8,000 hectares being targeted. These developments are part of a broader trend...

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Roundtable on the Green Economy in Africa

On 1 June, Natural Justice participated in a roundtable discussion on the prospects and challenges around an inclusive and pro-poor, natural resource-driven green economy in Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. The roundtable, organised by the Open Society Initiative for Africa, Heinrich Boell Foundation and One World, brought together policy makers, researchers, civil society and practitioners to contribute to the debate on the green economy, define...

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New Report on Southern Voices on Climate Change Policy

On 21 May, the Southern Voices Capacity Building Programme launched a new report, “Southern Voices on Climate Policy Choices – analysis of and lessons learned from civil society advocacy on climate change,” in Bonn, Germany. The report considers advocacy groups’ ability to influence climate change policy at the international, regional, national and local levels. It is based on more than 70 case studies and considers civil society's impact on legislation,...

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Indian Law Centre Principles on REDD+

Photo via the Indian Law CentreThe Indian Law Centre has released new principles focused on the intersection of international law, indigenous rights and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+). The principles seek to stimulate further discussions on how REDD+ can be implemented with a human rights-based approach. The Centre has been advocating on REDD+, which seeks to compensate developing nations which reduce their rate...

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