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Secure land tenure is a crucial weapon in the fight against climate change. It assists in the protection of existing forests, wetlands and peatlands, and typically incentivises carbon restoration activities like tree planting and soil and water conservation. Land administration systems further enable climate change mitigation, response and adaptation through spatial data analysis (informing disaster risk modelling), and spatial planning and policy (including targeted evacuation and insurance preparation).  Secure land tenure is especially essential in the context of climate change exacerbating existing and emerging pressures on and related to land: population growth, migration, unplanned settlement growth, gender inequality, indigenous rights and practices, urbanisation, and environmental degradation. 

LEI recognises that providing secure land and resource rights, accessible through the implementation of low cost, socially inclusive land administration systems, can help mitigate the effects of climate change by encouraging sensible land use planning and incentivising good stewardship of land and natural resources. Our projects seek to enable government capacity to collect and manage the data necessary to inform climate change related policies and promote secure tenure. We continue to build inclusive policies, processes and the use of spatial planning tools to promote the inclusion of the most vulnerable groups.

As conflicts become more complex and are seen to continue longer, land elements of these conflicts are intensified. There are more displaced people now than ever before and they are likely to be displaced for longer periods of time. More than 1700 activists have been killed defending the environment since the year 2000, and control of natural resources is closely linked to many conflicts. The ongoing and cumulative effects of conflict are compounded by mounting land pressures, such as food insecurity, water scarcity and migration.

LEI recognises that providing secure land and resource rights, accessible through the implementation of low cost, socially inclusive land administration systems, can help mitigate the effects of past and future conflict. Where land is an issue of conflict, many of our projects have the ability to contribute to sustaining peace. Examples of this include: empowering communities, developing capacity both within government and from the ground up, and helping to generate partnerships between and within communities and government to support consensus building, intervention scaling and sustainable outcomes. We have experience in implementing and developing guidance and policies for mediation and dispute resolution.

Recent studies have shown that secure land and resource rights create incentives for investment, improving agricultural productivity and land market participation and hence the security of food systems. Simultaneously, long term food security is enhanced by enabling investments in environmental conservation, including tree planting, soil and water conservation, shifting crop investments and reducing land and soil degradation. Women’s secure access to land has further, community-wide benefits, because women are more likely to invest in food crops, thus contributing financial gains to family and community health and education.   

LEI recognises that broadening and securing access to productive natural resources are necessary conditions for achieving food security. We work hard to ensure strong that community engagement is a feature starting from project commencement, and that equitable approaches are adopted throughout to have flow-through impacts towards food security. We work closely with smallholder farmers through to governments to ensure effective policies are in place to support secure and sustainable food systems. By designing and implementing well-functioning land administration systems, we are increasing economic accountability and transparency, facilitating effective credit markets, and improving the business climate for investment.

Globally, women form just 13% of agricultural land holders, and less than 20% of all land holders in developing countries. Sustainable Development Goal 5.A recognises the need to ensure equal access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, as well as financial services, inheritance and natural resources.

LEI has been recognised by donors for our successful and innovative approaches that encourage broad participation and gender inclusion, and LEI staff have been active players in international dialogues and action on gender and land. We use a variety of forums and media to enable and ensure representation and consideration of all groups in the design and implementation of land administration reforms. We instil principles of transparency and open communication throughout our work, recognising these as essential to addressing corruption and opening up the playing field. We instigate key gender and equality goals and baselines throughout our long-term projects.

Increasing global pressure on land and natural resources presents unique and emergent challenges. Pressures are a result of diverse factors, including population growth, urbanisation, increased demand for food and biofuel production, climate change and use-induced degradation and ecosystem conservation needs. The breadth and growing intensity of these pressures are requiring greater adaptiveness, innovation and flexibility from decision-makers and implementers, to ensure adequate land policies, legislative frameworks, institutional structures and administrative systems are in place to meet the needs of all citizens. 

LEI has the legal and institutional expertise to understand political and economic contexts, assess land governance needs, identify clear steps for reform measures, develop and implement plans for awareness-raising and training, and facilitate budgeting and funding identification.

We understand the important role the private sector plays in driving economic development and innovation. Creating an investment climate in which the private sector can flourish is fundamental to encouraging economic growth. Rules that clarify property rights, together with efficient tenure delivery systems, facilitate the decision-making necessary to generate economic growth and encourage private sector investment and development.

LEI’s work to develop costing and financing models and decision-making frameworks for land administration is well recognised, and routinely referenced in land administration publications. We have worked extensively to identify, analyse and articulate the role of public private partnerships in land administration. We have developed analytical and conceptual tools to facilitate government readiness to engage the private sector, and to support it to understand the risks and opportunities in the land sector. We understand the opportunities - whether software-as-a-service, or value add-ons enabled through digitisation and national spatial data infrastructures - and can assist across all project stages, from conceptualisation through to delivery, monitoring and evaluation.