Resumen de Achieving land development benefits on customary/communal land
Wycliffe Antonio, Charisse Griffith-Charles
Land reforms for addressing economic issues are required to conform to equity, socio-cultural and other landa governance concerns. This article reviews customary/communal tenure, and land reform mechanisms for optimising economic and social outcomes for countries where this type of tenure predominates. The experiences of two land groups, the Orogwangin and the Polulve Mahevie, that have engaged with the group incorporation mechanism of addressing customary communal tenure in Papua New Guinea are described and discussed. It was found that these narrow legal reform mechanisms distort customary/communal practices, forcing conflicts and subsequent subdivisions of groups in some instances. The lack of capacity of the state institutions to service the new requirements for maintaining the recording of group characteristics is notable as well. Vulnerable groups are left to negotiate with powerful business entities for appropriate terms and compensation for use of their land.
