Legal protection

Mangroves cut across ecosystems, sectors, jurisdictions and governance regimes.

This book explores the global conservation and management of sharks. There has been a rapid decline in populations of many shark species, while new science has emerged of the critical role they play in marine ecosystems. However, conservation law and policy have been slow to develop, with only a handful of iconic species being protected worldwide. This book surveys our current knowledge and status of the law and science in relation to sharks, with a particular focus on improving frameworks for their conservation and management. 

Over the past few years, agribusiness, investment funds and government agencies have been acquiring long-term rights over large areas of land in Africa. Together with applicable national and international law, contracts define the terms of an investment project, and the way risks, costs and benefits are distributed. Who has the authority to sign the contract and through what process greatly influences the extent to which people can have their voices heard. Yet very little is known about the exact terms of the land deals.

This guide discusses options to structure investment contractsin ways that maximise the investment's contribution to sustainable development. The focus is on foreign investment in the natural resource sector and on lower- and middle-income countries. The guide draws on test trainings in Ghana and Central Asia and aims to provide up-to-date and comprehensive learning material for both host governments and civil society. It can be used as a background document for training sessions, but it may also be used by readers accessing the material on their own.

The purpose of this report is to identify key issues and choices and to describe the broader context within which decisions are being made. The full report contains 28 consensus recommendations that are clearly marked in appropriately titled boxes at the end of the sections to which they relate.