Lay of the Land

Land, Data and Development Futures

Two days of dialogue on data, policy, land, community voices and just transition.

The programme is taking shape.
Session times and speakers to follow.

09 DECEMBERCONFERENCE / DAY 01

Land and its Legacies

Commons, forests, customs and institutions.

100 Stories of Commons

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Community voices from the 100 Stories of Commons project share how people across India nurture, govern and care for shared landscapes and natural resources, highlighting the role of collective stewardship in climate adaptation, ecological resilience and social wellbeing.

Codifying the Commons

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Drawing on the mapping of laws and policies governing shared landscapes, this session explores who holds power over commons and the decision-making structures that shape governance across states.

Twenty Years of the Forest Rights Act

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What do two decades of the Forest Rights Act look like on the ground? Explore how land conflicts reveal the ongoing contestations between forest rights, conservation and development, and community stewardship.

Interpretations and misinterpretations of customary law: Stories of women’s resilience for land rights in Jharkhand

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Stories of tribal women from Jharkhand fighting for their land rights despite threats of violence, vulnerability and opposition from commonly held patriarchal customary beliefs.

The walk-in exhibition continues throughout the day.

10 DECEMBERCONFERENCE / DAY 02

Land in Transition

Renewable energy, data centres, coasts and offshore wind.

Energy Transition: Changing the Landscape

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Using insights from Land Conflict Watch’s database, this session asks whether we can accelerate renewable energy development without repeating old patterns of conflict.

Coasts in Transition

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Climate change, mega-infrastructure projects and offshore wind are reshaping coastlines and the lives of communities that depend on the sea. Explore these pressures and possibilities for safeguarding the sea’s common resources.

Data Centres: Land, Water, Energy and the New Digital Infrastructure

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Explore the emerging land, water, energy and environmental footprint of data centres in India, and what better public data can reveal about the social and ecological implications of rapid digital infrastructure growth.

Data for Development Decisions

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How has data shaped land use? A discussion of Land Conflict Watch’s decade of work and how it can contribute to better decisions on development, infrastructure, climate and natural resources.

The walk-in exhibition continues throughout the day.

EXHIBITION / WALK-IN

Ground Truths

A four-day public exhibition. A decade of looking closely at the ground.

An immersive journey through land, data, people and changing landscapes, drawing on a decade of documentation, research and fieldwork.

Field notes, maps, satellite imagery and stories of communities sustaining shared landscapes and livelihoods.

LAY OFTHE LAND

FOUR DAYS TO LOOK AT
THE DECADE AHEAD.

Land, Data and Development Futures

Land and its Legacies

100 Stories of Commons

Codifying the Commons

Twenty Years of the Forest Rights Act

Interpretations and misinterpretations of customary law: Stories of women’s resilience for land rights in Jharkhand

Land in Transition

Energy Transition: Changing the Landscape

Coasts in Transition

Data Centres: Land, Water, Energy and the New Digital Infrastructure

Data for Development Decisions

Ground Truths

VOICES IN
THE CONVERSATION.

Samrita Shankar

Anupa Sagar Kujur

Mohit M. Rao

Amrita Chekkutty

LET’S MEET
ON THE
GROUND.

Save your place.

LAY OFTHE LAND

100 Stories of Commons

Codifying the Commons

Twenty Years of the Forest Rights Act

Interpretations and misinterpretations of customary law: Stories of women’s resilience for land rights in Jharkhand

Energy Transition: Changing the Landscape

Coasts in Transition

Data Centres: Land, Water, Energy and the New Digital Infrastructure

Data for Development Decisions

Samrita Shankar

Anupa Sagar Kujur

Mohit M. Rao

Amrita Chekkutty

LET’S MEETON THEGROUND.

Save your place.

LET’S MEET
ON THE
GROUND.