One of the consequences of major projects such as large-scale mining, oil and gas exploration, and roads and dam construction is the need to resettle large numbers of people and wildlife. For instance, the Three Gorges Dam in China is said to have displaced over 1.4 million people; the Volta Dam in Ghana displaced over 78,000 people; and the Aswan Dam in Egypt displaced about 120,000 people. The displacements of people have often resulted in negative socioeconomic and environmental impacts including land access loss, and psychological and sociocultural stress. This book contains a practical guide and proactive approaches to minimizing the socioeconomic and environmental impacts associated with resettlement schemes.
Based on the authors' own professional experience involving more than 100 resettlement schemes in over 40 countries, the book discusses a range of resettlement planning and implementation issues including: land access and resettlement process; key components of resettlement planning; vulnerable people; baseline data collection and analysis; impact assessment and risk management; compensation frameworks and livelihood restoration; community development; the negotiation process and land management; and monitoring and evaluation of resettlement projects. The authors identify the negotiation process as a critical and central component of the land access and resettlement process. In addition, real-life examples and illustrations from all parts of the world are used to explain issues discussed in each chapter.
Written at a level that is easily understandable to most scholars regardless of their technical background and education, the book demystifies the land access and resettlement process and serves as a very useful roadmap for planners, non-governmental institutions, and international development organizations involved in the planning and implementation of resettlement schemes worldwide. It is a must-read for everyone in the impact assessment profession and will be a standard reference on the shelves of resettlement and land access literature. Overall, the book is an intelligent and thoughtful piece of work that will be enjoyed by the general reading public as well.
University of Alabama, USA
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© 2015, Seth Appiah-Opoku
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14615517.2015.1069667