Land and Natural Resources

The complaint was initiated against GVL in October 2012 before the RSPO. The Complaints Panel’s first decision in the case was on December 13, 2012, finding that the complaints had merit and issuing a Stop Order against GVL. Beginning in 2013, GVL was required to file quarterly reports on its activities in Liberia, including its efforts to improve its operations and to comply with later decisions from the RSPO.

This case concerns the leasing of tribal lands for mining and industrial purposes.  The State of Andhra Pradesh granted leases to several non-tribal persons to mine tribal lands.  Samatha, a group representing the rights of affected tribal persons, filed a petition in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh arguing that the granting of leases to tribal lands to non-tribal persons for mining purposes violated the Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation (1959) and the Forest Conservation Act (1980).  The petition was rejected by the High Court and Samatha subsequently appealed to the

The Lesetlheng community applicants brought this case before the Constitutional Court of South Africa on appeal from a High Court order evicting them from their farm. The Lesetlheng community is a subset of the larger Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela community. The Lesetlheng communities’ ancestors purchased the farm in question in 1919, but owing to the racially discriminatory laws at the time, the ownership of the farm could not be transferred to the Lesetlheng community.