The economic divide among countries worldwide carries over into patterns of land purchasing and selling. The United States along with large economies and trading markets of Asia and the Middle East represent at least 30 percent of global land purchases since 2000, according to the LandMatrix, an independent land monitoring initiative. In contrast, the largest sellers of land globally include Russia—also among the top buyers—as well as developing countries of Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
LandMatrix seeks data on land transactions to improve transparency and accountability in the transfer of land rights. The initiative focuses in particular on land for agricultural production, timber extraction, carbon trading, industry, renewable energy production, conservation, and tourism in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2000, growing of wood and fiber was the leading reason for land purchases, followed by the purchase of land for growing food crops and purchases for access to biofuels.
Disclaimer from the LandMatrix: The data should not be taken as a reliable representation of reality. Reality is fast-changing as deals are changed, annulled or new ones spring up. Many deals are not yet included in the database. As an open tool, the Observatory allows wide participation in constantly upgrading, correcting and improving the information it contains. Over time, with your help, it will become more accurate.
Date of Event: 22-28 February 2016 Event Holder: IISD-Forest Description: The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Plenary will review progress made on the adopted IPBES work programme for 2014–2018, including the related budget and institutional arrangements for its implementation. It will, in particular, be invited to consider the two first full assessment reports of IPBES on pollination and pollinators associated with food production, and scenarios analysis and modelling of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The reports will be considered for adoption and their...
Now in its 18th year, the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty brings together key stakeholders engaged in strengthening land governance and tenure security for a weeklong event at World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC, USA. The conference program brings you a large number of sessions organized around thematic tracks with oral presentations on latest research, impact evaluations, experiences with new approaches for scaling land administration systems and business models; lightning talks on geospatial innovations, and a learning day. This year’s conference theme will be on the role of data and evidence for realizing land policy...