5 Enclosures and Rights of Nature Flashcards

1
Q

When/what were the Enclosure Acts in the UK?

A

18th Century

Fencing in of land to prevent others from accessing it

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2
Q

What did this signify?

A

Shift from community led and collective decision making (e.g. when to sow, plough, graze) to fenced fields and individual decision making/ownership

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3
Q

What was the argument for?

A

Underpinned the economic and agricultural development of Britain
Improved the health/quality of landscape
Gave farmers great autonomy

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4
Q

What was the argument against?

A

Theft of land -

Impoverishing the many for the sake of a few

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5
Q

What was common land and what was it used for pre- 18th century?

A

All those in the village had customary rights to access/utilise it for common purposes e.g. grazing, collecting firewood

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6
Q

Why was common land so important?

A

Formed often a significant part of income for poorer families and allowed them to heat their homes/cook, as fuel was very expensive at this time

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7
Q

Who did well out of the Acts?

A

Land owners; they had greater freedom to develop and improve their land and incomes and could sell land which suddenly increased in price to the rising middle class
Church of England; could lease
Landscape; general improvement to draining, bogs, heath land, afforestation etc

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8
Q

How did the landscape change?

A

There were new farms, farm houses, roads which were now outside of the centre of the village
Significant changes to rights of way/bridleways etc

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9
Q

How was this linked to parliament?

A

Land ownership was inherently linked to parliament membership

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10
Q

Why is there concern that this is happening again in modern Britain?

A

Since 1979, state has sold 10% of Britain’s land area and 50% of its public land

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11
Q

What land has been sold?

A

Large amount of Forestry Commission land

Formerly nationalised land e.g. railways, water, steel, coal

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12
Q

How was the selling of land justified?

A

Invoke the ‘hidden hand of the market’ as an agent for greater efficiency

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13
Q

However what is the main risk of privatisation in reality

A

Tragedy of the Commons

In pursuit of the highest rents possible, owners restrict everyone else’s opportunity to enjoy social amenities

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14
Q

What does privatisation mean for Britain’s least advantaged?

A

They have to pay rents that have increased 6-7% per anuum since 1979

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15
Q

Link with parliament now?

A

1/4 of MPs are landlords

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16
Q

Which factors have driven increasing pressure on global land and water resources?

A

Rising food demand
Increasing population
Dietary changes
Enhanced biofuel production driven by rising oil prices and new biofuel policies

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17
Q

Give an example of a policy that has driven changes in the biofuel industry

A

EU 2008 Renewable Energy Directive

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18
Q

What has this pressure driven?

A

Increased purchase of foreign agricultural land by major companies and corporations

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19
Q

During which years has this trend been greatest and how much land has changed hands?

A

2005-2009 with a peak in 2009

45 million ha of land

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20
Q

Which event in particular increased the amount of land grabbing?

A

Global Food Crisis 2007-2008

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21
Q

Which commodities in particular increased in price?

A

Wheat, rice, soy beans, maize

22
Q

How much did they increase?

A

2008 cereal prices reached a peak 2.8x their 2000 price, and in July 2010 remained 1.9x this price

23
Q

What was the rise caused by?

A

Growing food demand (esp China and India)
Increased biofuel production
Financial speculations
Adverse climatic conditions in the world’s ‘breadbaskets’

24
Q

What was the social impact of the global food crisis?

A

Drove 44 million people into poverty

Sparked food riots in e.g. Mozambique September 2010

25
Q

What are the social and environmental drawbacks of ‘land grabbing’

A

Limited consultation of local public
No adequate compensation of previous land owners
No opportunities create for new jobs or enhancement of environmental sustainability

26
Q

What is land grabbing from a neutral perspective?

A

Measure by governments/companies used to meet their food/energy requirements by acquiring land in foreign countries

27
Q

What is land grabbing from a biased perspective?

A

21st century form of colonialism which violates human rights which has no consideration of social and and environmental impacts

28
Q

Examples of nations deemed ‘land grabbers’?

A

South Korea and Saudi Arabia

Acquired land in Ethiopia and Madagascar

29
Q

Where are these deals made?

A

In the legal grey areas between traditional land rights and modern forms of property

30
Q

Where is land grabbing concentrated?

A

Africa (40%), in which it is concentrated on large rivers Nile and Senegal

31
Q

How many people in global indigenous populations?

A

2.5 billion

32
Q

What % of global land do indigenous have customary property rights?

A

50%

33
Q

On how much of this do they act have common property rights?

A

10% of this

34
Q

Which countries are these large corporations targeting and why?

A

Those with poor governance in order to maximise profits and minimise red tape

35
Q

Evidence of this?

A

3/4s of 56 countries where land deals were agreed 2000-2011 scored below average on World Bank Governance indicators e.g. control of corruption, rule of law, voice and accountability and regulatory quality

36
Q

Which Guatemalan policies are aiding and abetting land re-concentration?

A

Private individual land tilting

Market let agrarian reform

37
Q

What has this meant for indigenous land renters?

A

Colonos Farmers provide labour/payment for the right to live and farm on the land owned by others
These families were forcibly removed and homes and crops burnt

38
Q

What has happened to global freshwater withdrawals in last century?

A

Increased 7x

39
Q

What has been deemed the new 21st century enclosures

A

Ocean Grabbing

40
Q

Examples of the purposes of ocean grabbing by big corporations?

A

Building of luxury beach hotels in Sri Lanka
Clearing of Ecuadorian mangroves from global shrimp export
Rights Based Fishery policies titling oceans to European and Canadian fishing companies

41
Q

How are the grabs technically legal?

A

They are just hidden inside policy documents, trade agreements, conservation mandates and fishing policies

42
Q

How many people depend on small scale fishing for subsistence globally?

A

Half a billion

43
Q

What happened in South Africa in 2005?

A

Over 90% of 70,000 fishers were denied access to their resources when the government privatised fishing grounds

44
Q

How is the World Bank complying?

A

World Bank and other organisations highlight unsustainability as the reason they are attempting to establish property rights and privatising the oceans?

45
Q

What should we be doing instead?

A

Implementing polices which prioritise small scale local fishers

46
Q

How can market based mechanisms work to conserve?

A

Allocation of first order property rights

Give legal property rights to groups defending biodiversity, local people or give areas legal standing

47
Q

Water scarcity situation in Africa?

A

1 in 3 endure water scarcity and CC will only make this worse

48
Q

River in Ethiopia and who relies on it?

A

Alwero River - Anuak people

49
Q

How does the lifestyle of the Anuak people conserve the ecosystem?

A

Pastoralists/farmers so they move around according to the seasons which helps to maintain healthy soil fertility

50
Q

Recent development in the area?

A

New plantation owned up Saudi billionaire is irrigated with water from the Alwero - threatening supply

51
Q

What is Saudi Arabia’s resource problem?

A

Lack water instead of land to grow food

52
Q

Another country struggling with water resources and why?

A

India (companies e.g. Karuturi global doing the same) due to severely depleted underground aquifers due to decades of unsustainable irrigation