Advocating for Land Rights in the Context of Climate Change

Between March and November 2023, FAKT Consult conceptualised and facilitated an online discourse on the interrelation between land rights and climate change for Brot für die Welt partners. The participants discussed the risks of land-based carbon projects that frequently result in depriving communities of control over their customary land, while their positive contribution to mitigating the climate crisis is contested. In the course of the online exchange, participants raised important questions around the nature of “real” solutions that have the potential to effectively address the challenges posed by climate change while taking into account the traditional knowledge, rights and perspectives of IP&LC.

Since the interest in these questions was very high, Brot für die Welt assigned FAKT Consult to conceptualise and facilitate a second phase of the online discourse. This phase sought to further determine and illustrate the core characteristics and elements of community-based solutions by exploring practical examples that participants shared from their own working contexts. This was complemented by research conducted and presented by The Land Core Group (LCG) in Myanmar. The research confirmed that secure collective land rights and sustainable land use practices result in better protection of forests and biodiversity, as well as stronger climate resilience of communities through the diversification of livelihoods.

The discussion and analysis of the examples led to the development of a checklist. An infographic summarises and illustrates the key criteria for “real solutions”.