Responsible land governance is pivotal to achieving landscape restoration outcomes that benefit both people and ecosystems. It is a safeguard in ensuring that large-scale investments to restore landscapes do not deprive people of their land, or means of livelihood. It also helps prevent further land degradation by creating incentives for land users to invest in sustainable land management measures.

In their landmark 2019 decision on land tenure, parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)committed themselves to secure legitimate land rights of those living on, or adjacent to, areas targeted for actions to achieve the global land degradation neutrality (LDN) target. Yet, UNCCD country parties face challenges in implementing the decision.

This collaborative project supports national partners in Benin, Kenya, Madagascar, and Malawi to implement the UNCCD Land Tenure Decision in four key areas:

• strengthening in-country capacities for community-led land tenure mapping;

• mapping tenure rights

• empowering communities and their representative organizations to use tenure maps and land data to secure their rights

• contribute to regional-level implementation of the Land Tenure Decision by engaging in UNCCD civil society processes.

The project is coordinated by TMG Research and CADASTA in partnership with APIC Benin, Kenya Land Alliance, Land Landscape Development, Madagascar, and Total Land Care, Malawi, in collaboration with diverse community-based organizations and local governance bodies. It is generously funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.