New Insights on Land Governance Strategies for Conflict Prevention and Supporting Peace Agreements: Land Governance for Reserved Customary Land
Sereana Tuisabeto, Kelera Gadolo
The purpose of this paper is to present and demonstrate a particular type of land category that exists within customary land rights in Fiji called Reserve Land or Qele Kovu; it is this Reserve land that purports to safeguarding landowners now and in the future redressing conflict prevention and which supports peace agreements Reserve land is a subset of land types within the customary land of Fiji which is set aside for use only by the ITaukei or customary landowners of a particular district and province within Fiji; it is to be noted that there is over 8000 customary landowning units in Fiji, that is not counting their populations, who all have this Reserve land tagged to their land ownership of customary land. Reserve land in Fiji exists for the sole purpose of safeguarding land for the customary owners for now and those to come in the future, it is a subset of their customary land that is bound by a different section of legal framework of customary land in Fiji It is also to be noted there is an existing institution in Fiji, the ITaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB), who is mandated by Fiji‟s ITaukei Land Trust Act, who solely deals in Indigenous Customary Land and specifically the management of that land through leases i.e. over 40,000 leases of all types of uses from residential, industrial, commercial, development leases, gravel extraction licenses, logging licenses and conservation leases in partnership with other stakeholders in Fiji; the paper illustrating functions and processes that has successfully protected and progressed Indigenous Landowners in the context of contributing to the country‟s whole economy through their land/asset holdings. This organizational management of customary land also pertains to the management of these Reserve land for the customary landowners where it has a say on its use, its leasing or its acquisition; Reserve land is treated very delicately as the future and safeguard of customary landowners rests in the use of this land. It is imperative to note that Fiji after colonization and post-independence still maintains the majority landholdings as indigenous lands and that the institution, ITaukei Land Trust Board is one of a kind, unique in its functions and processes towards land, having account for each individual parcel, through mapping, demarcation lines and detailed ownership rights. It is also to be appreciated that 88% of land in Fiji is ITaukei or Indigenous Land and that only 4% is Crown or State Land and 8% is freehold, making Fiji an example of where Indigenous Land Management has been very successful and that Indigenous Land Management by institutions can be successfully administered and implemented anywhere in the world even encouraging sustainable development, i.e. TLTB manages conservation leases, is in the process of finalizing a REDD+ lease, encourages sustainable agricultural leases and manages residential leases that houses the most of the population in Fiji. The organization is a good platform for other nations to analyse and consider for their own land management practices where best fits; this is an interest that has been overwhelming from other Pacific Nation neighbours in 2016 with their visitations to the institution for their investigations; TLTB has hosted Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Island delegations 4 times in 2016 alone. The organization has been and will always be receptive to assist where they can in formulating and preparing indigenous landowners in equipping themselves with processes and procedures that will protect their rights and assist in the progression of invested developments for any nation. The institutional structure of TLTB is focused on the management of customary indigenous land for leasing purposes to the general public but having a lot of regard for the welfare and support mechanism for the customary landowners, particularly towards their Reserve land, as such the organization also has birthed a new division, the Landowners Affairs Unit...
Event: Land Governance in an Interconnected World_Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty_2018
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