New research report: What we’ve learnt about livestock, climate change, and land reform BlogFeaturedFeatured BlogHome Slider

New research report: What we’ve learnt about livestock, climate change, and land reform

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…
PLAAS
February 16, 2026
Beget caring conservation – searching for meaning in the emerging concept of OECMs in the 2030 race Blog

Beget caring conservation – searching for meaning in the emerging concept of OECMs in the 2030 race

By Loyiso Dunga As the global community accelerates efforts to protect 30% of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems by 2030, conservation stands at a critical juncture. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework has driven the adoption of innovative strategies such as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Yet beyond the technical language and acronyms lies a fundamental question: How do we…
PLAAS
January 8, 2026
Ingonyama Trust fall-out: When the elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers Blog

Ingonyama Trust fall-out: When the elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers

Moenieba Isaacs, Siphesihle Mbhele, Ayanda Madlala The Ingonyama Trust Board invited the Amakhosi from all districts of KwaZulu-Natal and strategic business partners like Vodacom and Old Mutual to gather in one room.  From 8-10 December, delegates took their places in the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban for the three-day strategic meeting to discuss the Trust and its…
PLAAS
December 18, 2025
A new transboundary park: Why we’re concerned about Maputo National Park’s plans to merge with iSimangaliso in South Africa BlogFeaturedFeatured BlogHome Slider

A new transboundary park: Why we’re concerned about Maputo National Park’s plans to merge with iSimangaliso in South Africa

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…
PLAAS
December 10, 2025
Prof Ralarala displays UWC’s excellence at UNECA’s Conference on Land Policy in Africa 2025 — and wins BlogFeaturedFeatured BlogHome Slider

Prof Ralarala displays UWC’s excellence at UNECA’s Conference on Land Policy in Africa 2025 — and wins

What is the University of the Western Cape's role in achieving the African Union's goal of "Land Governance, Justice and Reparations for Africans and Descendants of the African Diaspora"? "As Africans, each time we engage on this issue of land, we are reminded of our history and the history of dispossession, and the ongoing struggles for inclusion and redress," said…
PLAAS
November 24, 2025
From decolonising to liberating land in Africa’s changing climate BlogFeatured BlogHome Slider

From decolonising to liberating land in Africa’s changing climate

Professor Emmanuel Sulle At the Sixth Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA), the call was clear: Africa must break free from colonial land systems and boldly reimagine its relationship with land. From Supreme Court justices to ministers and scholars, speakers insisted on moving beyond lamentation toward liberation. The call was not simply to decolonise land laws, but to transform…
PLAAS
November 14, 2025
Prof Ian Scoones: Climate change and land – why COP30 must go beyond false solutions BlogFeatured BlogHome Slider

Prof Ian Scoones: Climate change and land – why COP30 must go beyond false solutions

Professor Ian Scoones Opinion Land and the climate are inextricably linked. We know that land-use change contributes between 13 and 21 percent to global emissions, yet only 2.5 percent of overall climate finance is directed to land-use related issues. As we head to COP30 in Brazil this month, this must change. Before that, let’s be clear about the type of climate…
PLAAS
November 6, 2025
Reflections from PLAAS’s Land, Life and Society conference BlogFeatured Blog

Reflections from PLAAS’s Land, Life and Society conference

Bernard Baha Participating in the Land, Life and Society conference at the University of the Western Cape was both intellectually invigorating and deeply affirming. The gathering brought together scholars, activists, and community leaders committed to reimagining land governance through lenses of justice, ecology, and lived experience. It was also a timely event as the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian…
PLAAS
October 31, 2025
Prof Ian Scoones: Why land redistribution must be central to human flourishing in an era of extreme inequality BlogFeatured BlogHome Slider

Prof Ian Scoones: Why land redistribution must be central to human flourishing in an era of extreme inequality

Professor Ian Scoones Land redistribution is not the flavour of the month. Many see it as impossible, an idealistic position more suited to the 1950s and 60s. Yet in an era of extreme inequality, when land concentration continues to intensify and livelihoods are constrained, gaining access to land remains crucial important in many parts of the world. Click on the…
PLAAS
October 30, 2025
plaas cattle farmer small holder farm
Call for abstracts: ICARRD+20 academic conference in Cartagena, Colombia Blog

Call for abstracts: ICARRD+20 academic conference in Cartagena, Colombia

After our fruitful discussions at the Land, Life and Society conference at PLAAS, we will be meeting at a convening of the same name in the days before the ICARRD+20 conference. We hope that as many people as possible who participated in Cape Town will be able to join the next discussion, in Cartagena in February 2026.    International Academic…
PLAAS
October 16, 2025