Policy Forum:

Scaling Up Conservation Practices for

Natural Resource Commons in Africa

A Regional Meeting of the

International Association for the Study of Commons

The President Hotel, Bantry Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

Tuesday, 20 January 2009	Wednesday, 21 January 2009	Thursday, 22 January 2009
Welcoming Keynote Address: Dr. Monde Mayekiso Deputy Director General, Marine and Coastal Management South Africa	Keynote Address: Mrs. Portia Segomelo Deputy Director, Department of Environmental Affairs, Botswana	IASC Presidential Address: Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick
Parallel Panel Sessions	Parallel Panel Sessions	Parallel Panel Sessions
Evening Event: Launch of the Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Case	Afternoon Plenary Panel: Addressing Historical Discrimination through Commons Policy Discussant: Prof. Lungisile Ntsebeza, University of Cape Town	Afternoon Workshop: Getting our Message to Policy Makers, Community Members and Activists

The objective of this Policy Forum is to share existing research and experiences in the governance of large scale natural resource commons across different ecosystem types in Africa. These include among others: coastal zones; arid grasslands; forests; savannas and forest patches; and floodplain ecosystems. The Policy Forum brings together researchers and policy makers to examine existing research on commons governance. The Policy Forum takes as its starting point the insight that addressing natural resource degradation in Africa means finding ways to identify reproduce and encourage positive practices of commons management across wide scales.

Contacts

Dr. Lapologang Magole, Programme Committee Chair,
Harry Oppenheimer Okavanga Research Centre, University of Botswana
magolel@orc.ub.bw

Dr. Mafaniso Hara, Organizing Committee Chair,
PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
mhara@uwc.ac.za

http://www.plaas.org.za/newsevents/iasc/reg/

Early Registration, before 1 December 2008, USD 180
Late Registration, USD 210
South African Student Registration, USD 25 (bring student card)
On Site Registration available from 08:30 on the 20th January 2009
Lunch is not included in the student registration fee

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
FIRST NOTICE

Property Rights and Sustainability: the evolution of property rights to meet the challenges of sustainability

Thursday 16 - Saturday 18, April 2009 at the University of Auckland.

Theme:

This conference aims to stimulate debate about property rights and the objectives of sustainability. The intention is to provide a forum to discuss how property rights and responsibilities may be applied or adapted in a way that addresses ecological problems in a more coherent and sustainable way.

The conference will consider the nature and function of property rights within the context of contemporary policy, law and ethical discourse. In particular, it will provide a basis for specific examination of how New Zealand can better respond to current problems including:

• land use planning and land use change;
• coastal and marine management;
• water management;
• forestry;
• biodiversity;
• climate change;
• cultural heritage; and
• corporate responsibility.

The target audience for this conference includes academics, law practitioners, judges, politicians, central and local government officers, planners, resource management professionals, members of NGOs, iwi authorities and students.

Programme:

The conference will commence with a public address by Judge Christopher Weeramantry (former Vice President of the International Court of Justice) on the evening of 16 April. The two full days of the conference will begin with keynote and theme papers before the lunch break. Parallel sessions will be held in the afternoons following specific session topics developing the theme of the conference. The Programme will be available on the conference website once finalised.

Confirmed Keynote Conference Speakers:

Judge Christopher Weeramantry (Sri Lanka), Professor Eric Freyfogle (USA), Professor Ron Engel (USA), Professor Sharon Beder (Aust.), Professor Tony Arnold (USA).

Conference website: www.nzcel-conf.auckland.ac.nz.

Call for Papers:

The conference organisers welcome papers on the conference theme. Papers need not have a specific New Zealand focus. Key topics include (but are not limited) to the following:

• Concepts of property rights and responsibilities;
• Property rights in land and natural resources;
• Managing of 'free' resources;
• Land use;
• Water management;
• Climate change responses;
• Marine environment;
• Maori and indigenous concepts of property;
• Heritage protection;
• Coastal management;
• Forestry;
• Public access; and
• Corporate responsibility.

Submission Process:

1. Abstracts should be received by 1 December 2008.
2. Abstracts must be of 250-300 words and contain the following information; a. Name, affiliation, postal address and email address;
   b. Title of paper;
   c. List of key words that best describe the paper; and
   d. For collaborative papers, the name of the presenter of the paper
3. Please submit your proposal by email to k.j.kilgour@paradise.net.nz in MSWord
4. You will be notified of acceptance of your paper via email early January 2009.

Further Information

For conference information, contact the Conference Organiser - Jane Kilgour at k.j.kilgour@paradise.net.nz. For queries relating to the theme and content of the conference papers, please contact David Grinlinton (d.grinlinton@quckland.ac.nz) or Prue Taylor (prue.taylor@auckland.ac.nz).

Please note: Presenters will be responsible for their own conference expenses.
Registration details will be available on the conference website at:
www.nzcel-conf.auckland.ac.nz