Strengthening local organizations responsible for land management

Description

Strengthening local organizations responsible for land management involves building their capacity to plan, implement, and monitor sustainable land use practices. This strategy empowers communities to address land degradation, resolve conflicts, and enforce regulations by providing training, resources, and technical support. It remedies weak governance and limited local participation, ensuring that land management decisions reflect local needs and knowledge, ultimately promoting environmental sustainability and improved livelihoods.

Context

Local organization involvement in natural resource management, whether it be in developing or developed countries, is instigated by population pressures contending for ever-diminishing natural resources. Local organization involvement strategies, as implemented by national agencies around the world, are rational attempts to provide the balance between protection and use needs, while serving to broaden environmental responsibilities throughout society.

Implementation

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends creating or strengthening rural organizations in charge of village and pastoral land management.