In the first edition of the Mazingira Yetu Network newsletter, Professor Moenieba Isaacs writes about how critical it is for conservationists, researchers, and the public to be aware of the direction in which global biodiversity and conservation plans are going, and why it is important to know.  I write this from Colombia, where I was fortunate to have attended the…

By Professor Ruth Hall In Africa, the continent with the highest proportion of untitled land in the world, a fight is on - not just for the land, but to define which rights get recognition, and who decides. In contrast to those who focus on rural democratisation as a matter that needs to focus on national governments, the story I…

This opinion blog is based on input by Professor Ruth Hall at the second International Conference on Agricultural Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20). During this session, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization launched their global Status of Land Tenure and Governance report. Download the report here. The Status of Land Tenure and Governance report confirms that the world has a…

By Dr Tapiwa Chatikobo A recent report from the Institute of Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa offers fascinating insights into how small- and medium-scale livestock producers on redistributed farms are dealing with climate variability in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. The report, edited by Tapiwa Chatikobo and Ben Cousins,…

By Phillan ZamchiyaAfrica is undergoing one of the most rapid and consequential transformations of land use in the contemporary world. I argue that these changes are best understood through what I term globalised extractive territorialisation. This is because contemporary land-use change is not limited to extraction alone. It involves the systematic reorganisation of territory through concessions, corridors, offsets, zoning, and…

Three key issues in rural policy are often discussed in isolation from one another: smallholder livestock production systems, the socio-economic impacts of climate change, and redistributive land reform. Across Southern Africa, all three are key to developing policies and programmes that enhance the sustainability of livestock-oriented rural livelihood strategies. Yet the complex and variable manner in which these three key…

Ayanda Madlala To decolonise mainstream conservation — one that is extractive with natural resource ‘grabbing’ traits — an integrated approach is crucial. Three key aspects need to be considered: knowledge, narratives and practices. Professor Tembela Kepe reminded us of this most recently in his lecture on decolonising biodiversity conservation at the Living Landscapes in Action short course in Cape Town…