Land Governance in Transition: How to Support Transformations That Work for People and Nature?

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to submit your paper for open access publication in the Land Special Issue “Land Governance in Transition: How to Support Transformations That Work for People and Nature?”.

This Special Issue looks at land governance through the lens of transformations. It distinguishes between transformations at two levels: First is the institutional level. This Special Issue scrutinizes the changes that have taken place in land policy, land governance, and intervention approaches. How do institutions respond to these changes? And to what level do they themselves transform? Second is the level of impact on stakeholders. What consequences are observed for certain land governance and interventions? What are the long-term impacts on land, water, and food?

This Special Issue looks back at the decade since the land grab “hype” began, analyzing the transformation processes that have taken place at 1) the level of institutions and 2) in those locations where interventions have been made. We aim to revisit our understanding of the implications of investment flows for food security, livelihood, and sustainable development.

To achieve this objective, we also need to take upcoming challenges into account. Land governance takes place in the context of climate change and the increasing, often conflicting pressures on land and natural resources, that unleash new issues. Some examples include climate displacement and migration, ecosystem restoration and green grabbing, and the rise of informal settlements.

How do we pave the way for transformations in land governance that minimize negative inter- and externalities, and that balance between stakeholder groups? How do we put our knowledge and experience to work and support transformations that benefit both people and nature?

This Special Issue emerges from contributions to the LANDac Annual International Conference that takes place 4–5 July 2019, in Utrecht, the Netherlands. You are invited to submit your abstract by 15 December 2019 and full papers by 15 January 2020. Contributions may address several topics, for example:

1. Inclusive Land Governance: Gender and Migration
2. Urban Land Dynamics, Infrastructure and Deltas
3. Community Rights: Climate Change and Natural Resource Management
4. Realities of Dispossession, Displacement and Resettlement
5. Land Governance and Agribusiness
6. Land Governance in Practice: Approaches and Tools
7. Land Governance and New Technologies

Ms. Chantal Wieckardt
Dr. Ellen Mangnus
Dr. Mayke Kaag
Dr. Marthe Derkzen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• land governance
• land rights
• water–energy–food nexus
• displacement
• inclusive cities
• land investments
• UN SDGs
• land-based financing
• land data and technology
• multistakeholder approach