Edward Loure received the Goldman Prize for his commitment to defending the lands of the Masai and other indigenous peoples living in Tanzania.
A Tanzanian activist, leader and member of the Masai tribe, Edward Loure is the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize winner for Africa. Loure was recognised for his efforts to defend land rights for indigenous peoples in Tanzania and to demonstrate that native communities are outstanding stewards of their own land and local ecosystems. The Goldman Prize is the highest international honour awarded each year to leading environmentalists from six regions.
The indigenous rural communities of hunters and gatherers in northern Tanzania have inhabited their lands for 40,000 years, living in harmony and sustainably alongside local wildlife and protecting ecosystems. However, policies implemented by the government over recent decades have led to local lands — officially unclaimed and therefore considered uninhabited — being sold for tourism or commercial purposes.
Most of these lands, however, have been occupied for generations by indigenous communities, such as the Masai and Hadzabe. As available land has dwindled, an increasing number of indigenous communities have had their lands taken away, their way of life denied and their homes taken from them.
Edward Loure, 44, is a programme coordinator for the Simanjiro district, in the Manyara region of northern Tanzania, for the Ujamaa community resource team (Ucrt). "The main problem for rural communities is land grabbing. Over the years I noticed that our lands set aside for livestock were shrinking drastically because of illegal farming, tourism and development," said Loure.
Loure, with the help of communities and Ucrt lawyers, adopted a novel approach to documenting land rights. He made use of a local instrument, the Certificate of customary right of occupancy (Ccro). Although the certificate was originally intended to manage individual land rights, it was adapted to formalise land rights for the Masai and Hadzabe communities.
"By putting pressure on the government and preparing all the ownership documentation, we secured the title to our lands," Loure explained. Almost 90,000 hectares of land have been safeguarded over nearly ten years for the two communities.
Loure's work has inspired other indigenous groups to use the same method to safeguard their own lands. He is currently working on 14 new certificates to protect more than 370,000 hectares of land, in the hope that this story can raise awareness and support for land rights in Tanzania.
Translated by Camilla Soldati