Common lands and natural resources Making the case for SDG Indicators Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, march 2014 Dr. Maryam Niamir-Fuller Special Advisor to the Executive Director

Increasing international recognition for tenure rights

Land and natural resources in 5 SDG Targets TARGET 1.4: “.. Equal rights to economic resources,.. Control over land and other forms of property …” Target 2.3: “ small-scale food producers … secure and equal access to land…” Target 5.a : “… women equal rights … to ownership and control of land …” Target 12.2: “ … sustainable.. and efficient use of natural resources Several targets on natural resources and benefit sharing

The commons: GDP of the poor

Those who rely on common property resources 500 million pastoralists occupy 25% of world’s land area

Alpine pastures of Europe lost plant and animal biodiversity after livestock farmers abandoned transhumance 200 years of ranching in North America created a unique wildlife-friendly ecological state Andalusia/Spain government financed performance-based fire management scheme (Euro per hectare per year payment to pastoralists) Both overgrazing and under-grazing can deteriorate ecosystems Grazing dependent rangelands

Commons : a universal agenda Target 11.7: by 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, particular for women and children, older persons, and persons with disabilities United Kingdom’s CRoW Act of 2000

Common land and natural resources are not an anachronism Examples from Conservation: Indigenous community-conserved areas Tenure of priority nature conservation landscapes Examples from Pastoralism: Spanish Royal Canyada Group ranches, pastoral conservancies in Africa West Africa’s “transhumance passports” Mauritania set asides for restoration Recognizing indigenous territories: “Certificates of ancestral domain” in Mindanao, First Nation States, creation of ‘tribal trusts’ Securing resources for the poor and marginal Leasing common land on a long term basis in India

Challenges of tracking the commons Existing systems of titling and registering:  Competitive and conflictual privatization of common lands  Land grabbing when there is a governance vaccuum  Unequal benefit sharing within the community, between communities, and between generations Challenges of tracking the commons:  Some legal systems do not recognize common lands/NR as assets (e.g. the politics of “wastelands” in India)  Data not disaggregated  Definitions not inter-operable

Why measure ? Human Rights and Well being Sustainable livelihoods Sustainable environment

Complexity of the commons Multi- functionality Dynamic and/or non- equilibrium ecosystems Fluid boundaries Seasonality of resources Periodic and multi-layered tenure regimes Reciprocity and non- marketed goods Bundle of rights

Common definitions or semantic ontologies ?

SDG Targets Transformational measurements Target 1.4 Measure land tenure security Target 2.3 Target 3.9 Measure impacts of unsustainable management of common resources on human health Targets 8.1 and 8.2 Measure economic benefits from common resources Target 12.2 Measure sustainable management of common resources Target 14.4 Targets 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.b Targets 16.3 and 16.5 Measure governance and accountability on common resources A composite indicator Applicable to Targets 3.8, 4.1, 6.1, 7.1, 10.3 Measure social and economic impacts on marginal, remote and mobile communities who depend on common resources Proposed indicators

Conclusions and next steps Is tenure security enough to achieve the SDGs ? Establish international legal standing for “Common lands/natural resources” Develop the semantic ontology of common land and natural resources Develop tools and mechanisms for registering, certifying and protecting common lands and their natural resources Raise awareness among all stakeholders, including local communities and indigenous peoples

Thank you