Climate Responsive Land Governance in South Asia: Reflections from the Summer School 2026

Abstract

Climate change has increasingly emerged as one of the most significant challenges affecting land governance systems across the globe. In South Asia, the impacts of floods, landslides, droughts, environmental degradation, and rapid urbanization are directly influencing land tenure security, disaster resilience, land-use systems, and the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. Recognizing the urgent need for integrated and climate-responsive approaches to land administration, the Land Management Training Center (LMTC), Nepal, in collaboration with Landstack India and the International Land Coalition–Asia (ILC-Asia), organized the Summer School on Climate Responsive Land Governance from 21–26 April 2026 in Dhulikhel, Nepal. The programme brought together 23 participants and 25 distinguished resource persons from Nepal, India, Myanmar, and Australia representing government agencies, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and geospatial technology sectors. The six-day Summer School combined policy dialogue, academic learning, technological demonstrations, field-based observation, and collaborative action planning to strengthen regional understanding of the complex relationship between climate change, land governance, disaster management, and sustainable development. Major thematic areas included land tenure security, policy and institutional frameworks, GeoICT and digital land administration systems, gender-responsive governance, climate-induced displacement, and participatory land-use planning. This article presents the institutional background, structure, key thematic discussions, day-wise highlights, outcomes, lessons learned, and future implications of the Summer School. The article argues that climate-responsive land governance is essential for building resilient societies and that secure, inclusive, and technology-driven land administration systems are central to climate adaptation and sustainable development in South Asia.