Registering the Human Terrian: A Valuation of Cadastre
Publisher: National Intelligence University
Author(s): Douglas Batson
Date: 2008
Topics: Conflict Causes, Data and Technologies, Governance, Land, Peace and Security Operations
Countries: Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Guatemala
By tying a name to a place, a cadastre can answer the difficult “who” question: who is behind a given problem? A cadastre can also provide military commanders with detailed knowledge of the human terrain, assisting with identification of power brokers on the ground whose support or obstruction may determine mission success. This book tells U.S. civil and military planners how cadastral information, where it exists and where it has been maintained, might improve multilateral reconstruction and stability (R&S) efforts. Especially in post-conflict societies, land tenure and property rights (LTPR) are a much larger issue; a cadastre is one of many solutions through which stability and peace can return. Conversely, by assigning land ownership or rights to one claimant, a cadastre can extinguish de facto rights and unleash further conflict by empowering a nouveau elite at the expense of other claimants. Thus, knowledge and experience in sequencing changes to LTPR are critical to nation-building missions.