Tenure and Global Climate Change (TGCC) Quarterly Report, October – December 2015

The aim of the task order is to identify and test models that strengthen resource governance and property rights as they relate to successful climate change programming. The impacts of climate change as well as society's responses to adapt and mitigate climate change are significantly affecting resource tenure governance, the rights of communities and people, and their livelihoods. In turn, resource tenure and property rights issues may strengthen or undermine successful implementation of climate change-related initiatives. Interventions that strengthen land tenure and resource governance can help reduce vulnerability and increase resilience. They also promote resource-use practices that achieve mitigation, and development objectives. The task order consists of four tasks and contains a grants under contract (GUC) mechanism to support these task areas. These tasks aim to: 1. Pilot tenure interventions that strengthen land rights as an enabling condition for the promotion and adoption of climate-smart land use practices through work in the Chipata District of Zambia's Eastern Province. The work has also evolved to support policy engagement and research around customary land administration in Zambia. 2. Clarify the legal and regulatory rights to benefits derived from environmental services under REDD+ and other Payment for Environmental Services (PES) incentives through resource tenure and REDD+ assessments, as well as targeted legal assistance to the development of a national land-use policy and associated laws in Burma. This work is also evolving to consider tenure conditions associated with the sustainable management of mangrove systems and their environmental services. 3. Undertake research on tenure, property rights, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, initially focused on the following two questions: a. How does the devolution of ownership and governance of forests improve forest condition and help communities benefit from climate change mitigation programming? b. How does devolution of marine resource tenure rights contribute to biodiversity conservation, sustainable fisheries management, and climate change adaptation? This work is anticipated to evolve to consider the tenure dimensions around reducing deforestation in commodity supply chains associated with the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 initiative. 4. Strengthen women's property rights under REDD+ through support to customary land mapping and planning pilot processes. The work has evolved based on a buy-in from the USAID Burma Mission and now focuses on the piloting of recognition of community rights over land and resources in diverse agricultural/forest landscapes in Burma, while maintaining attention to the recognition of women's property rights. TGCC is addressing these tasks by using a combination of intensive field implementation, local partnerships, field work, and case studies, literature reviews, participation in international communities of practice, and workshops and conferences. Since March 2013, these efforts have increasingly focused on field implementation in two countries: Zambia and Burma. The quarterly report will include in-depth discussion of these two countries, highlighting progress, challenges, and lessons learned. In Zambia, the project has made significant progress in piloting tenure interventions that strengthen land rights and promote climate-smart land use practices. The project has also supported policy engagement and research around customary land administration in Zambia. In Burma, the project has clarified the legal and regulatory rights to benefits derived from environmental services under REDD+ and other PES incentives, and has undertaken research on tenure, property rights, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The project has also made progress in strengthening women's property rights under REDD+ through support to customary land mapping and planning pilot processes. The project has piloted recognition of community rights over land and resources in diverse agricultural/forest landscapes in Burma, while maintaining attention to the recognition of women's property rights. Overall, the TGCC task order has made significant progress in addressing the complex issues of resource tenure governance, property rights, and climate change. The project has demonstrated the importance of strengthening land tenure and resource governance in reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience, and has highlighted the need for continued support to these efforts.