Volume 1 Issue 2 (2025)

Bangladesh, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, faces significant environmental threats due to its low-lying topography, high population density, and geographical location. Climate change exacerbates challenges such as rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, increased flood frequencies, sea-level rise, riverbank erosion, and degradation of water resources. Between 1990 and 2020, the mean annual temperature increased by approximately 0.19 °C per decade, while rainfall variability intensified, with extreme precipitation events rising by 35%. Flood frequency in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin increased by 21%, with 1-in-20-year floods now occurring every 4–7 years. Coastal salinity intrusion expanded inland by up to 120 kilometers, severely impacting agriculture and freshwater access. Eutrophication-driven harmful algal blooms, triggered by increased nutrient loading from agriculture and poor wastewater management, have increased in frequency by 42%, particularly during the dry season. This paper investigates these interconnected effects of climate change on Bangladesh’s river dynamics and water bodies using hydrological modeling and long-term observational data. It evaluates adaptive and mitigative strategies, including ecological restoration, renewable energy adoption, and sustainable land management. Emphasizing the need for data-driven policy frameworks, the study offers practical recommendations to reduce nutrient pollution, enhance agricultural resilience, and manage water resources sustainably, thereby improving long-term climate resilience in Bangladesh.

Following colonialism, the majority of African nations launched land reform programmes that principally focused on the redistribution, titling, and registration of rural land to address residual effects of colonial land policy. The current land reform programme in Malawi has mainly targeted formalising customary land into customary estates in order to guarantee tenure security, boost credit availability and hence facilitate investments. While there are numerous advantages to formalising customary land, little is known regarding the impacts of formalising customary land into customary estates on agricultural commercialisation in rural areas of Malawi. This paper examines the effects of formalising customary land into customary estates to promote agricultural commercialisation in rural areas of Malawi. Semi-structured in-depth key informants’ interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to collect data from Rumphi, Kasungu and Phalombe districts. Document analysis was used for triangulation. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that formalising customary land into customary estates involves various steps, such as adjudication and demarcation of land parcels. Results also indicate that Customary Land Committees (CLCs) assist in affirming ownership, explain and confirm boundaries. Finally, formalisation leads to issuance of title that is used as collateral to access credit, which is important for the establishment and growth of agro-based industries. This, in turn, enhances investment opportunities and promotes agricultural commercialisation in the rural areas. Therefore, it is recommended that formalisation of customary land should feature highly on government land reform agenda and be part of land policy in order to foster agricultural commercialisation.

This study develops a conceptual framework for applying blockchain technology to land tenure systems, with the goal of enhancing transparency, equity, and dispute resolution. Land governance in many regions is plagued by fragmented records, legal pluralism, and the systemic exclusion of marginalized groups. Blockchain’s decentralized and immutable architecture offers significant promise for reform, yet its practical application requires more than technical innovation. Through a qualitative, literature-based methodology, the study synthesizes findings from global case examples to identify recurring challenges and enabling conditions for blockchain-enabled land systems. Key dimensions analyzed include legal recognition, participatory governance, digital identity, and geospatial data integration. The proposed framework comprises five interrelated components: a permissioned blockchain ledger, smart contracts mechanism, digital identity and access control, geospatial data integration, and inclusive governance architecture. Unlike techno-centric approaches, the model foregrounds social inclusion, legal interoperability, and the recognition of customary and collective land rights. It is theoretically grounded in legal pluralism, socio-technical systems theory, and data justice. Case examples from countries such as Georgia, Bangladesh, and Kenya demonstrate the framework’s relevance across varied contexts. The study contributes to the emerging discourse on digital land governance by proposing a justice-oriented, modular design that is adaptable to urban, rural, and post-conflict settings. It also cautions against premature or top-down adoption, emphasizing the importance of local engagement, institutional capacity, and legal harmonization in ensuring long-term success.

This research examines the evolution of land use patterns in Ludhiana, a smart city in Punjab, India, from 2020 to 2024, focusing on key sectors such as residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural land use. Through data visualization methods including stacked bar charts, area plots, and correlation heatmaps, the study identifies notable shifts in land allocation trends over the five years. The findings reveal a consistent increase in residential land use, rising from 2,500 hectares in 2020 to 2,900 hectares in 2024, driven by urbanization and growing housing demand. Commercial land expanded from 150 hectares to 230 hectares, and industrial areas from 800 hectares to 900 hectares, highlighting the city’s ongoing economic and infrastructural development. In contrast, agricultural land steadily declined from 12,000 hectares in 2020 to 11,200 hectares in 2024, indicating continued urban encroachment into rural zones. The study employs a mixed-methods approach combining legal analysis, institutional review, and statistical modeling—including multiple linear regression (R² = 0.998)—to assess the drivers and governance barriers of land use change. These changes reflect Ludhiana’s transformation from a predominantly agrarian landscape to a more urbanized environment. The trends underscore the urgent need for integrated and sustainable land use planning that balances development with environmental stewardship and food security. The study calls for forward-looking urban policies that safeguard green spaces and promote equitable land management to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding urban population.

Environmental degradation is creating serious challenges for the spring water security in the mountainous region of South Asia. The freshwater springs meeting the growing water demands of the numerous mountain communities are under a high strain due to changing climate and land degradation in the region. The current study aims to assess the spring distribution and vulnerability to land degradation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan using geospatial modeling techniques coupled with ground information. The study revealed a total of 2564 springs with a density of about 0.06 springs/km² in the study area. More than fifty percent of springs were observed in the 1000–1400 mm rainfall regime, pointing towards a high influence of precipitation in recharging the springs. The mean soil loss of over 48.8 tons/ha/yr was predicted in the area, the risk of which was found to be very high (> 100 tons/ha/yr) over 12% and high (50–100 tons/ha/yr) over 8.1% of the area. Based on the land degradation analysis, over 20.4% of the springs appear to be highly vulnerable, 28.4% medium vulnerable, and 51.1% low vulnerable in the region. The restoration of the forest cover over mountain slopes and highland pastures can lessen overland flows and improve groundwater and spring resources. In-depth investigations of the hydrogeology and environmental implications could be helpful for sustainable management of the springs in the region. The study would provide a base for developing viable land and water conservation strategies to improve spring water security in the region in future.