CAPRi joined CIFOR, International Land Coalition, Foundation for Ecological Security and Oxfam in hosting a discussion forum on “Commons Tenure for a Common Future” at the Global Landscapes Forum in Paris, December 5, 2015, on the sidelines of the UNFCCC COP21.
Rights and tenure feature as one of the themes of the 2015 Forum.
The role of tenure security in providing incentives for sustainable resource management and restoration is well established. However, much of the policy attention has been on securing individual lands, which make up only part of the landscape mosaic.
Collective tenure over forests, rangelands, and critical areas of watersheds is relatively neglected, and such tenure is often the most insecure. Yet the commons play an important part in many landscapes, affecting ecosystem services on private lands as well. Access to the commons is particularly important to the poor, whose livelihoods often rely heavily on products derived from commonly-used forests, pastures and fisheries.
This session presented research on the importance of the commons for addressing climate change and land degradation, the challenges and potential ways of securing tenure on the commons, and the perspective of civil society.
Key questions addressed
- What role does common property play in landscape-level ecosystem services?
- What are the threats to tenure security on the commons, and opportunities to strengthen the commons?
- How can livelihood opportunities from the commons be expanded to reinforce collective tenure and improved landscape management?
Watch the discussion forum here
Speakers and presentations
Ruth Meinzen-Dick (CAPRi/IFPRI)
Etienne Le Roy (Professor emeritus of Legal Anthropology, Sorbonne)
Jagdeesh Rao (Foundation for Ecological Society)
Joan Carling(Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact)
Steven Lawry (Center for International Forestry Research)
Moderator: Michael Taylor (ILC)
Background reading
Collective Action and Property Rights for Sustainable Development
The Role of Collective Action and Property Rights in Climate Change Strategies
Tenure rights and access to forests: A training manual for research: Part I. A guide to key issues.
Polycentric governance of multifunctional forested landscapes