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Tag Archive for: land tenure

Enhancing land security: lessons from Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia

30 November 2022/by Romuald Vaudry

In many parts of the world, Indigenous Peoples and local communities have no legal recognition of their rights over the forest land they live on, despite the fact that when they do, they are better able to conserve it, bringing climate, biodiversity and development benefits.

At COP 26, countries and philanthropic foundations pledged USD 1.7 billion up to the end of 2025 to recognise indigenous and local community land rights. However, while 19% of that pledge has been disbursed in 2022, only 7% has reached local communities and indigenous peoples directly.

At the EU REDD Facility, we have gathered experience in working closely with partners in Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia to find innovative solutions to enhance local communities’ and smallholders’ legal security over their lands.

A stakeholder mapping exercise with representatives of oil palm smallholders from Bunga Karang Village, Banyuasin District, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, where EFI and partners support the implementation of social forestry policy.
A stakeholder mapping exercise with representatives of oil palm smallholders from Bunga Karang Village, Banyuasin District, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, where EFI and partners support the implementation of social forestry policy. Source: WRI Indonesia

Securing land certificates in wooded areas of Côte d’Ivoire

Based on the experience of the REDD+ project in the Mé region of Côte d’Ivoire, the Facility is supporting the delivery of individual or collective land certificates. These certificates are an official recognition of the customary rights over land. The project covers 2500 hectares of wooded areas threatened by agricultural production and logging.

In support to the GIZ programme Forests4Future, these activities also enable:

  • Farmers, especially non-Ivorians, to secure access to land through the signing of lease contracts with land certificate holders.
  • The implementation, with private operators, of innovative rural reforestation or agroforestry models. These models can secure private investments in other people’s land and related benefits, such as timber production and carbon sequestration.
  • To significantly increase rural populations’ resilience by: 
    • Enabling the full reintroduction of trees (and associated benefits) into farming systems when climate change impacts are increasing
    • Securing the activities of vulnerable groups (women and youth), especially those dedicated to harvesting of non-timber forest products 

This approach met the interest of the World Bank, which is integrating the lessons learnt from this ongoing pilot into a new major project dedicated to the free delivery of land certificates in 16 regions of Côte d’Ivoire, with a focus on wooded areas and women’s access to these certificates. Given the affordable cost related to this operation (EUR 20 per hectare), this new approach could also be extended through public-private partnerships involving cocoa and timber stakeholders.

Marker installed to delimitate the boundaries of an agroforest in the Mé region in Côte d’Ivoire
Marker installed to delimitate the boundaries of an agroforest in the Mé region in Côte d’Ivoire. Source: J. Kouao

Analysing the legal basis for customary forestry in Indonesia

Over the past decade, decentralisation and reformation efforts in Indonesia have increased the role of communities in forest management, in which land tenure plays an important role. The Social Forestry policy aims to redistribute 12.7 million ha (around 10%) of state forest area to local communities through several mechanisms.

Along with partners in Indonesia, the EU REDD Facility conducted several analyses of the Indonesian legal framework concerning land tenure, particularly in relation to customary forestry. For example, we assessed whether the legal framework enables customary and indigenous groups to be involved in legal and sustainable production and trade of timber from their customary forests, especially because some of them rely on logging and the timber trade to support their livelihoods.

Recently, we analysed changes brought about by the issuance of the sweeping Job Creation Law and its impacts on indigenous or customary peoples’ rights. This analysis suggests that the Job Creation Law generally strengthens the status of social forestry and provides an affirmative policy for indigenous communities. Nonetheless, it has not simplified the procedures that customary communities must follow when applying for official recognition of their customary forests.

The Facility is also supporting the implementation of the Indonesian Government’s social forestry policy through support to a group of oil palm smallholders in South Sumatra currently applying for a social forestry permit. The policy provides groups of farmers with secure tenure permits to continue farming on state protection forest land, provided that they switch from oil palm monoculture to agroforestry within one plantation cycle, to restore the area. The Facility’s Land-use Planner tool will be used to support the smallholders in identifying their agroforestry options.

Local land tenure for global benefits

These are examples of how work on improved land tenure can have benefits that go far beyond those to the local communities and environment. You can read more about how tenure security helps address climate change, conserve biodiversity and advance sustainable development in our related blog post “Securing land rights: one stone, three birds”.

Alice Bisiaux

Alice leads the EU REDD Facility’s legal work on land allocation and forest conversion. She also provides technical support on the national climate plans of the Facility’s partner countries.

Before joining the Facility, Alice worked as an environmental lawyer in London. She then followed the international climate change negotiations for over ten years, and consulted for various international NGOs and the United Nations. Alice teaches climate change negotiations at ESADE University in Barcelona.

Satrio Adi Wicaksono

Satrio Adi Wicaksono

Satrio provides technical and analytical support for the Facility’s work on forest and land use governance in Southeast Asia. He is based in the European Forest Institute’s office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Satrio previously worked on forest and ocean issues at World Resources Institute Indonesia, where he managed projects and conducted research on forest and landscape restoration, social forestry, and sustainable ocean and coastal ecosystems. He has a background in climate science, environmental studies, and international relations.

https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/stakeholder-mapping-excercise-oil-palm-smallholders-Sumatra-Indonesia.jpg 628 1200 Romuald Vaudry https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/EU-REDD-Facility-logo-tagline.svg Romuald Vaudry2022-11-30 11:46:482022-11-30 14:06:04Enhancing land security: lessons from Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia

Securing land rights: one stone, three birds

30 November 2022/by Alice Bisiaux

Land tenure defines who owns land and its resources and under what conditions. Roughly 65% of the world’s total land area is managed under local, customary or communal tenure systems, but Indigenous Peoples and local communities have formal legal ownership of only 10% of the land.

These numbers are all the more sobering when the top climate scientists recognise that strengthening land tenure security is central to transition to a green economy. Similarly, biodiversity scientists have found that deforestation is lower on land managed by Indigenous Peoples. Securing land rights also increases sustainable productivity, securing livelihoods and fighting poverty. All in all, tenure security comes with significant climate, biodiversity and development benefits: three birds with one stone. However, when looking at the national climate plans of major forest countries, more could be done to foster the securing of land rights.

Why does land tenure security matter? 

Land tenure insecurity is a key driver of deforestation and land degradation. In various African countries, farmers burn down forests as a means to secure more farmable land. Without land security, farmers and local communities have no incentive to protect valuable tree species that take years to mature into marketable timber resources.

In contrast, the Working Group II contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finds that strengthening the land and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is:

  • A precondition for good land governance
  • A unique opportunity to combat climate change and safeguard biodiversity, including by preventing deforestation and forest degradation
  • One of the best nature-based solutions, able to unleash numerous sustainable development benefits

This is in part because securing land rights, including through customary systems, can incentivise farmers to adopt long-term climate-smart practices. These practices:

  • Increase sustainable productivity, thereby strengthening food security
  • Enhance farmers’ resilience
  • Reduce agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions
  • Increase carbon sequestration – the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, thereby reducing climate change
Ivorian couple holds their land certificate
Ivorian couple holds their land certificate. Source: Nitidae

In Ghana for example, cocoa farmers that hold a land certificate have an income per hectare that is on average 15.5% higher than those without. Being a legal landowner increases productivity by 21.9% on average, all other variables being equal. Knowing that poverty is a key deforestation driver, securing land rights, and thus farmers’ income, can play a significant role in fighting forest loss.

Furthermore, having documentary evidence of legal land ownership will enable operators in increasingly regulated markets to carry out their due diligence obligations. It will also enable smallholders and farmers to demonstrate legal compliance, thereby helping them access sustainable supply chains and international markets. This access typically means they will be able to sell their products at a higher price than on domestic markets, thereby increasing their income and rewarding their sustainable and legal practices.

The multiple benefits of secure land tenure are not only well known among the international community. An EFI-led project in the Republic of the Congo found that 100% of women and youth identify the need for legally securing their access to land as their number one priority. The strong link between land tenure and the fight against climate change calls for assessing whether national climate plans have given land tenure security the attention it deserves in their national climate plans.

Land tenure in climate plans

Ahead of the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015, countries were invited to submit their ‘intended’ post-2020 climate plans, known as their intended nationally determined contributions (NDCs). A brief by the Rights and Resources Initiative, “Indigenous Peoples and Local Community Tenure in the INDCS,” reviewed 130 or so intended NDCs. It found that only 21 countries, representing 13% of tropical and subtropical forest area, had made a clear commitment to implement Indigenous Peoples and local communities tenure security or community-based natural resource management.

In 2022, ahead of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference or COP26, Parties to the Paris Agreement on climate change were invited to review their NDCs. This provided them with an opportunity to address tenure security or strengthen their existing pledges. In a 2021 blog post, “Taking stock of national climate plans: what’s in it for forests?”, we reviewed 19 NDCs of forest-rich countries in 2021 and found that limited progress has been made:

  • Four mention land tenure
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the only one to mention land tenure of Indigenous Peoples
  • Côte d’Ivoire is the only one to mention land tenure of local communities
  • Nine include a vague reference to Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ rights: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Indonesia, Liberia and the Republic of the Congo

Among the 19 countries analysed in 2021, six submitted updated NDCs in 2022. But only one of these, Gabon, added a reference to land tenure to its NDC.

How to accelerate the securing of tenure

To foster the securing of land rights and “kill the three birds” (address climate change, protect biodiversity and unleash development benefits):

  • Concerned countries should engage in reflections to offer legal alternatives to land titling through some more affordable and speedier process that provides legal certainty (read more on how the EU REDD Facility supports local communities’ land tenure in Côte d’Ivoire) 
  • Bilateral and multilateral climate financing mechanisms should ensure the USD 1.7 billion promised at COP 26 in Glasgow to recognise indigenous and local community land rights is disbursed and spent.
  • Countries should be encouraged to include specific and measurable tenure and natural resource rights goals for Indigenous Peoples and local communities in revising their NDCs in 2023 and/or in their implementation plans.

Parties should monitor the development and resulting climate benefits of community-based tenure systems and share their experiences and lessons learnt.

Romuald Vaudry

Romuald Vaudry

Romuald leads the Facility’s work on sustainable land-use policies in Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon. He also contributes to the Facility’s work on public-private partnerships promoting sustainable agricultural production, landscapes and supply chains in Central and West Africa.

Romuald was previously based in Africa, coordinating REDD+ projects for the French NGO Nitidæ. He has also served as a forest technician for the Regional Office for Private Woodland in Normandy, France. He has a background in forestry and integrated land-use planning.

https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/secure-land-tenure-cote-ivoire.jpg 628 1200 Alice Bisiaux https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/EU-REDD-Facility-logo-tagline.svg Alice Bisiaux2022-11-30 10:58:572022-11-30 12:00:15Securing land rights: one stone, three birds

How securing land tenure can help fight both desertification and deforestation

10 June 2022/by EU REDD Facility

The EU REDD Facility moderated an EU side event held during the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Speakers from the EU, Ivorian NGOs and the Facility agreed that the fight against desertification in Côte d’Ivoire is closely linked to the fight against deforestation.

During the event, the EU REDD Facility expert on sustainable land-use policies, Romuald Vaudry, explained how securing land tenure, through the issuance of land certificates, is critical to preserve existing forests and drive the increase of forest cover in the Ivorian rural domain. By becoming owners of the trees, farmers (including women) can safely invest in their land, diversify their production systems, and improve their income. Land use planning and associated spatial planning tools, including down to the village level, are also essential for better land use.

©Nitidae

Ivorian civil society representatives showed concrete examples how land certification in the Mé region made it possible to concretely fight deforestation and secure private sector investments, driving reforestation. They also showed how civil society can ensure that private and public actors comply with regulations in force through independent observation.

EU representatives explained how the EU works in partnership with countries in their ecological transition towards sustainability. In this framework, the EU supports Côte d’Ivoire in the development of a national strategy for sustainable cocoa. EFI provides technical support to this process in Côte d’Ivoire, but also in Ghana and Cameroon through the International Partnerships Facility’s Sustainable Cocoa Programme.

https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/secure-land-tenure-cote-ivoire.jpg 628 1200 EU REDD Facility https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/EU-REDD-Facility-logo-tagline.svg EU REDD Facility2022-06-10 14:46:002022-09-15 08:35:35How securing land tenure can help fight both desertification and deforestation

Supporting a local cooperative to secure long-term REDD+ investment in Democratic Republic of the Congo

17 December 2015/by EU REDD Facility

The EU REDD Facility is supporting the development of a local agroforestry cooperative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to ensure the long-term sustainability of REDD+ investment in the area.

Read more
https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/men-field-local-cooperatives-drc.jpg 628 1200 EU REDD Facility https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/EU-REDD-Facility-logo-tagline.svg EU REDD Facility2015-12-17 09:54:002022-08-29 10:13:43Supporting a local cooperative to secure long-term REDD+ investment in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Opportunities for improving land tenure and land-use rights in Indonesia

14 October 2015/by EU REDD Facility

The EU REDD Facility and Yayasan Penelitian Inovasi Bumi (INOBU) have been working together since 2013 to explore opportunities to clarify tenure and land-use rights as a means to improve land use governance in Indonesia’s West Papua province.

Read more
https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/indonesia-opportunities-improving-land-use-rights.jpg 628 1200 EU REDD Facility https://euredd.efi.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/EU-REDD-Facility-logo-tagline.svg EU REDD Facility2015-10-14 10:11:002022-08-17 10:26:08Opportunities for improving land tenure and land-use rights in Indonesia

Latest blog posts

  • A stakeholder mapping exercise with representatives of oil palm smallholders from Bunga Karang Village, Banyuasin District, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, where EFI and partners support the implementation of social forestry policy.WRI IndonesiaEnhancing land security: lessons from Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia30 November 2022 - 11:46 am

    In many parts of the world, Indigenous Peoples and local communities have no legal recognition of their rights over the forest land they live on. At the EU REDD Facility, we have gathered experience in Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia to find innovative solutions to enhance local communities’ and smallholders’ legal security over their lands.

  • Ivorian couple holds their land certificateNitidaeSecuring land rights: one stone, three birds30 November 2022 - 10:58 am

    Land tenure insecurity is a key driver of deforestation and land degradation. In contrast, tenure security comes with significant climate, biodiversity and development benefits: three birds with one stone. However, when looking at the national climate plans of major forest countries, more could be done to foster the securing of land rights.

  • Palm oil plantations in IndonesiaSatrio Wicaksono, EFITraining land-use planners for sustainable landscapes13 July 2022 - 5:59 pm

    Landscapes around the world have experienced dramatic transformations in recent decades. Global supply chains link smallholder palm oil farmers in Indonesia with major retailers, like Lidl, Carrefour and Tesco, in Europe or cocoa growers in Ghana to chocolatiers in Belgium. The growing population of our globalised world has intensified pressure on land, soils, water and forests. Ensuring the health of these ecosystems is essential to address climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation to achieve sustainable development.

  • Reducing the bitterness of coffee from Vietnam’s Central Highlands20 June 2022 - 3:00 pm

    I love coffee in the morning, its taste, its aroma and the boost of energy it gives me to start the day. While enjoying a fresh brew some years ago, I began to think about what was behind my morning cup – where do the beans come from? What are the landscapes where they are produced like? And who are the people that harvest this coffee?

  • Six ingredients of successful partnerships for legal and sustainable forest-risk commodities20 June 2022 - 1:46 pm

    How can we ensure legal and sustainable value chains that unleash local wellbeing and protect forest and biodiversity without excluding smallholders? The answer may be in the mixing of six ingredients to whip up successful multistakeholder partnerships that can support legal and sustainable supply chains of forest-risk commodities.

  • 10 years 10 lessonsSeason’s greetings and 2021 in review31 December 2021 - 4:34 pm

    As 2021 draws to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to share some highlights from this year’s work by the EU REDD Facility. This year we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our founding, taking the opportunity to reflect on the lessons we learned over the last decade. We’re working to ensure these insights help to shape and accelerate action for protecting and restoring the world’s forests.

About the EU REDD Facility

The EU REDD Facility supports countries in improving land-use governance as part of their efforts to slow, halt and reverse deforestation. It also supports the overall EU effort to reduce its contribution to deforestation in developing countries. The Facility focuses on countries that are engaged in REDD+, an international mechanism that incentivises developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their forest and land-use sectors. The Facility is hosted by the European Forest Institute and was established in 2010.

Disclaimer

This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union and the Governments Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. The contents of this site are the sole responsibility of the European Forest Institute’s EU REDD Facility and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of funding organisations.

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Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0. Credit information: European Forest Institute, www.efi.int
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