Land rights

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Land rights are those property rights that pertain to real estate, that is, land.

Because land is a limited resource and property rights include the right to exclude others, land rights are a form of monopoly. Those without land rights must enter into land use agreements, since they must reside somewhere. In western culture, land rights are derived from the sovereign; thus, a land value tax is sometimes referred to as rent.

Land rights can also refer to encumbrances on for example, the right of access.

Land rights and related resource rights are of fundamental importance to the worlds indigenous peoples since they constitute the basis of their economic livelihood and are the source of their spiritual and cultural identity. Dispossession of traditional lands is a major problem faced by indigenous peoples worldwide.

Rights for Indigenous Australians living in the Northern Territory were granted under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976 (Northern Territory).

[edit] See also

• aboriginal land claims - terra nullius - native title
• air rights
• commons
• Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (in the UK)
• crown land (see "logging and mineral rights" under Canada)
• easement ("the right of use over the real property of another")
• freedom to roam
• homestead principle
• Oren Lyons
• Indian reservation, land which is managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• land grant
• mineral rights
• prior appropriation water rights
• riparian water rights
• squatter
• water rights