Navigating contested land claims under a peace agreement: Mapping multiple ancestral lands in Maguindanao, Philippines
Maria Carmen Fernandez
In cases where land governance reforms and intensified socio-economic development are components of negotiated political settlements, how can state and non-state actors navigate multiple land claims in areas associated with multiple indigenous groups, protracted displacement, and resultant plural land tenure regimes? This paper describes a collaborative mapping process initiated in sites in the province of Maguindanao del Sur in Southern Philippines associated with the 2014 peace agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Government of the Philippines, as well as a pending ancestral domain claim filed by the Tëduray Lambangian indigenous community. Building on iterative conversations and collaborative mapping from December 2020 to March 2022, the work uses administrative and community-generated information to facilitate hard conversations on desired development trajectories and explore viable ways forward. The paper concludes with recommendations for the use of spatial data for mediation and systematic adjudication in the context of implementing a peace deal.
Event: World Bank Land Conference 2024 - Washington
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