- Email: [email protected]
Land registration and cadastral systems tools for land information and management
Book reviews Acre. Two years later, Brazil returned to democracy with the election of environmentally minded Fernando Collor de Melo as President. One of the new leader’s early accomplishments was reaching agreement with the rich industrial nations (the so-called ‘Group of Seven’) on a $250 million ‘Pilot Program to Conserve the Brazilian Rainforest’. Whether related to the above events or not, recent satellite images have revealed a dramatic reduction in the pace of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon - from a peak of perhaps 40 000 km* in 1987 to around 10 000 km* per year in the early 1990s. While this is good news indeed, it should not lull researchers and decision makers into a faise sense of security. Policy reversals, such as a decision to reinitiate major road construction in rainforested areas, could result in an acceleration of deforestation. On the
other hand, the current slowdown in deforestation is providing a welcome breathing space for carrying out further research on sustainable ways of using the rainforest. Such research will hopefully build on the fine work already begun in Alternatives to Deforestation. One would wish, however, that future research would be more interdisciplinary, combining the efforts of ecologists, foresters, agronomists and anthropologists with those of economists and financial analysts. In order to be truly sustainable, alternatives to deforestation must be not only technically sound but also profitable to the regional population. Dennis J. Mahar Chief, Environment Division Latin America & Caribbean Region World Bank Washington, DC, USA
Registering the land - pros and cons LAND REGISTRATION AND CADASTRAL SYSTEMS Tools for Land Information Management by Gerhard
and
Larsson
Longman Scientific Harlow, UK, 175 pp
and
Technical,
With dramatic land policy changes sweeping Eastern Europe and with information technologies becoming the norm for managing land records worldwide, an updated reference text on land registration and cadastral systems has been desperately needed. Gerhard Larsson’s new book provides an overview of parcel-based land record systems, focusing on some of the benefits, problems and methodologies entailed in introducing and improving them. It should be required reading for land managers and land use planners working in developed or developing countries. This book will help them to appreciate the relationship these systems have to larger land poli-
LAND USE POLICY
April 1993
cy issues, and introduce them to some of the principles involved and the various strategies that have developed in Europe, Africa and elsewhere. For more knowledgeable readers, Larsson has provided a clear and relatively concise synthesis of cadastral and land registration theories. As the author notes in the Preface, his purpose was not to develop new models but to provide an overview of existing methodologies. If readers are sometimes teased by the introduction of issues such as standards or costs. without really finding more than general statements, they are also rewarded by finding relatively unbiased descriptions and a thoughtful commentary based on the author’s extensive experience in developing countries. The first part of the book reviews the principles of land information systems (LIS), cadastres and land registration systems. The need for these systems is tied to increasing intensity of land use and to the subsequent need for information about property rights, Models for how various generic systems have evolved are presented and
then illustrated by descriptions of system development in specific countries. Perhaps the most significant contributions at this stage in the book are the overview of European systems, rarely found in English texts, and Larsson’s analysis of lessons that can be drawn from well-established systems, for example, that costs must be kept reasonable in relation to expected mediumterm results to maintain ongoing political support for system development. On the other hand, systems in North America and Australia (which Larsson classifies as being non-cadastral based) are treated superficially here and throughout the book. There is no mention of the lessons that might be learned from major investments in computerizing both textual and graphical land records in these countries, in developing standards and in creating innovative organizational structures to coordinate modern systems. In the second part of the book, Larsson documents information most often found only in scattered conference papers and reports. The general benefits of land registration and cadastral systems are reviewed and methods for calculating these benefits are presented. A third chapter outlines a methodology for determining the feasibility of introducing these systems, including a limited description of related costs. For the most part, the discussion on benefits repeats wellknown justifications without any rigorous questioning of the assumptions (eg property taxes will be fairer). However, Larsson provides more than the one-line descriptions found in most standard texts and he cautions that the specific jurisdictional conditions must be taken into account in deriving potential benefits realistically. Although topics such as costs (especially for maintenance) are not well developed, the model for determining feasibility is a useful guide for system evaluation. After a rudimentary outline of survey and adjudication methods and of aspects of the land (or text) register, Larsson provides a thoughtful, if controversial, section on related land policy issues - ie registration and group tenure, land consolidation strategies
177
Book reviews/Publications
and recognition of occupational rights. These issues and the discussion of progressive systems, which can be incrementally improved as needs and capabilities grow, are illustrated with examples from many countries. Other specific issues considered in the book are organization, education and automation, but the discussions here suffer from the overview approach. More is needed on organizational structures and on information management technologies such as microfilm. The first appendix reviews general principles of parcel identifiers, a topic emphasized throughout the main text. But Larsson overlooks the fact that most jurisdictions are struggling to somehow resolve multiple-parcel identifier (and parcel definition) issues. Admittedly, if a totally new system is being developed, then there is an opportunity to adopt one identification system. But, in practice, various parcel identification systems and definitions will be well entrenched in traditional mandates and organizational politics. The second appendix reviews the Swedish Land Data Bank System and the Land Registration and Information System (LRIS) in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Again, for a knowledgeable reader these descriptions will not provide much that is new. In the Maritimes, for example, the LRIS programme devolved to new provincial organizations in 1989, including the New Brunswick Geographic Information Corporation. Innovative approaches are under development to provide improved information management in the existing deed registries and to speed conversion to land titles. Throughout the book there are diagrams and graphical examples to illustrate key points. The figures are generally clear and simple and Larsson’s own models (eg on system evolution) are interesting and informative. The examples of maps and documents are also helpful, although it might have been useful to have included some of the new digital products such as electronic
titles.
overview of cadastral systems and land registration for a general audience from a land Larsson
178
has
provided
an
management perspective and has raised a number of issues that need further investigation and documentation. One major issue that is emerging is whether the public expense of converting to and maintaining a title register can be justified. Title registration may be no more effective than improved deed registry systems unless, for example, overriding interests are minimized and efficient procedures exist to eliminate delays caused by detailed (and often unnecessary) plan examination. The numbers of skilled personnel and administrative resources required for maintaining title registration are also much greater than for other systems.
Larsson assumes throughout that the cost of establishing these systems should be borne by the public and that governments play the primary role in system development (including adjudication) and maintenance. But such assumptions are being questioned today in many countries. As governments are forced to reduce costs, they are also searching for more effective procedures - traditional mandates and methods are under scrutiny. Sue Nichols Assistant Professor Department of Surveying Engineering University of New Brunswick Fredericton, NB, Canada
Publications Afforestation: Policies, Planning and Progress edited by Alexander Mather (Belhaven Press, London, UK, 1992, 223 pp, f39.50)
Brenda G. Mathenia (Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Boulder, CO, 1992, 195 pp, us$lo.oo)
An Agenda of Science for Environment and Development into the 2lst Century edited by J.C.I. Dodge, Gordon T. Goodman, J.W.M. La Rivicre. Julia Marton-Lefevrc. Timothy O’Riordan and F. Pradcrie (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1992. 352 pp, f50.00 hardback. f19.95 paperback)
Common Property Resources: A Missing Dimension of Development Strategies by N.S. Jodha (World Bank, Washington, DC, 1992, 100 pp, US$7.95)
Agricultural Change, Environment and Economy edited by Keith Hoggart (Mansell Publishing, London, UK, 1992.254 pp, f4S .OO) Aid IO African Agriculture: Lessons from Two Decades of Donor’s Experience edited by Uma Lele (Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 1992, 627 pp, f33.00) Balancing Act: Environmental Issues in Forestry by Hamish Kimmins (University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1992, 256 pp. f14.95) Bangkok Slums: Review and Recommendations by Sopon Pornchokchai (Agency for Real Estate Affairs, School of Urban Community Research and Actions, Bangkok, Thailand, 1992. 184 pp, USS6.00) Beyond Superfailure: America’s Toxic Policy for the IY9Os by Daniel Mazmanian and David Morel1 (Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1992, 27X pp, f11.50) Coastal Erosion: Has Retreat Sounded? by Rutherford H. Platt, H. Crane Miller, Timothy Beatley, Jennifer Melville and
Comparative Effectiveness of Conservation Mechanisms by David Colman, Bob Crabtree, Julie Froud and Lucy O’Carroll (University of Manchester Press, Manchester, UK, 1992, 120 pp, f15.00) Countryside: An the Constructing Approach to Rural Development by Terry Marsden, Philip Lowe, Richard Munton. Jonathan Murdoch and Andrew Flynn (Reconstituting Rural Areas Series No 1, UCL Press, London, UK, 1993, 224 pp, f35.00) Crop-Livestock Interaction in Sub-Saharan Africa by John McIntire, Daniel Bourzat Pingali (World Bank, and Prabhu Washington, DC, 1992, 246 pp) Dictionary of Global Climate Change corn-piled by W. John Maunder, under the auspices of the Stockholm Environment Institute (UCL Press, London, UK, 1992, 2% pp, f19.95) Ecological Effects of Wastewater: Applied Limnology and Pollutant Effects by E.B. Welch (Chapman & Hall, London, UK, 1992, 425 pp, f39.95) The Economics of Coastal Management: A Manual of Benefit Assessment Technique.7 bv Edmund C. Penning-Rowsell et al (Belhaven Press, London, UK, 1992, 380 pp, f99.00)
LAND USE POLICY
April 1993
other hand, the current slowdown in deforestation is providing a welcome breathing space for carrying out further research on sustainable ways of using the rainforest. Such research will hopefully build on the fine work already begun in Alternatives to Deforestation. One would wish, however, that future research would be more interdisciplinary, combining the efforts of ecologists, foresters, agronomists and anthropologists with those of economists and financial analysts. In order to be truly sustainable, alternatives to deforestation must be not only technically sound but also profitable to the regional population. Dennis J. Mahar Chief, Environment Division Latin America & Caribbean Region World Bank Washington, DC, USA
Registering the land - pros and cons LAND REGISTRATION AND CADASTRAL SYSTEMS Tools for Land Information Management by Gerhard
and
Larsson
Longman Scientific Harlow, UK, 175 pp
and
Technical,
With dramatic land policy changes sweeping Eastern Europe and with information technologies becoming the norm for managing land records worldwide, an updated reference text on land registration and cadastral systems has been desperately needed. Gerhard Larsson’s new book provides an overview of parcel-based land record systems, focusing on some of the benefits, problems and methodologies entailed in introducing and improving them. It should be required reading for land managers and land use planners working in developed or developing countries. This book will help them to appreciate the relationship these systems have to larger land poli-
LAND USE POLICY
April 1993
cy issues, and introduce them to some of the principles involved and the various strategies that have developed in Europe, Africa and elsewhere. For more knowledgeable readers, Larsson has provided a clear and relatively concise synthesis of cadastral and land registration theories. As the author notes in the Preface, his purpose was not to develop new models but to provide an overview of existing methodologies. If readers are sometimes teased by the introduction of issues such as standards or costs. without really finding more than general statements, they are also rewarded by finding relatively unbiased descriptions and a thoughtful commentary based on the author’s extensive experience in developing countries. The first part of the book reviews the principles of land information systems (LIS), cadastres and land registration systems. The need for these systems is tied to increasing intensity of land use and to the subsequent need for information about property rights, Models for how various generic systems have evolved are presented and
then illustrated by descriptions of system development in specific countries. Perhaps the most significant contributions at this stage in the book are the overview of European systems, rarely found in English texts, and Larsson’s analysis of lessons that can be drawn from well-established systems, for example, that costs must be kept reasonable in relation to expected mediumterm results to maintain ongoing political support for system development. On the other hand, systems in North America and Australia (which Larsson classifies as being non-cadastral based) are treated superficially here and throughout the book. There is no mention of the lessons that might be learned from major investments in computerizing both textual and graphical land records in these countries, in developing standards and in creating innovative organizational structures to coordinate modern systems. In the second part of the book, Larsson documents information most often found only in scattered conference papers and reports. The general benefits of land registration and cadastral systems are reviewed and methods for calculating these benefits are presented. A third chapter outlines a methodology for determining the feasibility of introducing these systems, including a limited description of related costs. For the most part, the discussion on benefits repeats wellknown justifications without any rigorous questioning of the assumptions (eg property taxes will be fairer). However, Larsson provides more than the one-line descriptions found in most standard texts and he cautions that the specific jurisdictional conditions must be taken into account in deriving potential benefits realistically. Although topics such as costs (especially for maintenance) are not well developed, the model for determining feasibility is a useful guide for system evaluation. After a rudimentary outline of survey and adjudication methods and of aspects of the land (or text) register, Larsson provides a thoughtful, if controversial, section on related land policy issues - ie registration and group tenure, land consolidation strategies
177
Book reviews/Publications
and recognition of occupational rights. These issues and the discussion of progressive systems, which can be incrementally improved as needs and capabilities grow, are illustrated with examples from many countries. Other specific issues considered in the book are organization, education and automation, but the discussions here suffer from the overview approach. More is needed on organizational structures and on information management technologies such as microfilm. The first appendix reviews general principles of parcel identifiers, a topic emphasized throughout the main text. But Larsson overlooks the fact that most jurisdictions are struggling to somehow resolve multiple-parcel identifier (and parcel definition) issues. Admittedly, if a totally new system is being developed, then there is an opportunity to adopt one identification system. But, in practice, various parcel identification systems and definitions will be well entrenched in traditional mandates and organizational politics. The second appendix reviews the Swedish Land Data Bank System and the Land Registration and Information System (LRIS) in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Again, for a knowledgeable reader these descriptions will not provide much that is new. In the Maritimes, for example, the LRIS programme devolved to new provincial organizations in 1989, including the New Brunswick Geographic Information Corporation. Innovative approaches are under development to provide improved information management in the existing deed registries and to speed conversion to land titles. Throughout the book there are diagrams and graphical examples to illustrate key points. The figures are generally clear and simple and Larsson’s own models (eg on system evolution) are interesting and informative. The examples of maps and documents are also helpful, although it might have been useful to have included some of the new digital products such as electronic
titles.
overview of cadastral systems and land registration for a general audience from a land Larsson
178
has
provided
an
management perspective and has raised a number of issues that need further investigation and documentation. One major issue that is emerging is whether the public expense of converting to and maintaining a title register can be justified. Title registration may be no more effective than improved deed registry systems unless, for example, overriding interests are minimized and efficient procedures exist to eliminate delays caused by detailed (and often unnecessary) plan examination. The numbers of skilled personnel and administrative resources required for maintaining title registration are also much greater than for other systems.
Larsson assumes throughout that the cost of establishing these systems should be borne by the public and that governments play the primary role in system development (including adjudication) and maintenance. But such assumptions are being questioned today in many countries. As governments are forced to reduce costs, they are also searching for more effective procedures - traditional mandates and methods are under scrutiny. Sue Nichols Assistant Professor Department of Surveying Engineering University of New Brunswick Fredericton, NB, Canada
Publications Afforestation: Policies, Planning and Progress edited by Alexander Mather (Belhaven Press, London, UK, 1992, 223 pp, f39.50)
Brenda G. Mathenia (Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Boulder, CO, 1992, 195 pp, us$lo.oo)
An Agenda of Science for Environment and Development into the 2lst Century edited by J.C.I. Dodge, Gordon T. Goodman, J.W.M. La Rivicre. Julia Marton-Lefevrc. Timothy O’Riordan and F. Pradcrie (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1992. 352 pp, f50.00 hardback. f19.95 paperback)
Common Property Resources: A Missing Dimension of Development Strategies by N.S. Jodha (World Bank, Washington, DC, 1992, 100 pp, US$7.95)
Agricultural Change, Environment and Economy edited by Keith Hoggart (Mansell Publishing, London, UK, 1992.254 pp, f4S .OO) Aid IO African Agriculture: Lessons from Two Decades of Donor’s Experience edited by Uma Lele (Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 1992, 627 pp, f33.00) Balancing Act: Environmental Issues in Forestry by Hamish Kimmins (University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1992, 256 pp. f14.95) Bangkok Slums: Review and Recommendations by Sopon Pornchokchai (Agency for Real Estate Affairs, School of Urban Community Research and Actions, Bangkok, Thailand, 1992. 184 pp, USS6.00) Beyond Superfailure: America’s Toxic Policy for the IY9Os by Daniel Mazmanian and David Morel1 (Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1992, 27X pp, f11.50) Coastal Erosion: Has Retreat Sounded? by Rutherford H. Platt, H. Crane Miller, Timothy Beatley, Jennifer Melville and
Comparative Effectiveness of Conservation Mechanisms by David Colman, Bob Crabtree, Julie Froud and Lucy O’Carroll (University of Manchester Press, Manchester, UK, 1992, 120 pp, f15.00) Countryside: An the Constructing Approach to Rural Development by Terry Marsden, Philip Lowe, Richard Munton. Jonathan Murdoch and Andrew Flynn (Reconstituting Rural Areas Series No 1, UCL Press, London, UK, 1993, 224 pp, f35.00) Crop-Livestock Interaction in Sub-Saharan Africa by John McIntire, Daniel Bourzat Pingali (World Bank, and Prabhu Washington, DC, 1992, 246 pp) Dictionary of Global Climate Change corn-piled by W. John Maunder, under the auspices of the Stockholm Environment Institute (UCL Press, London, UK, 1992, 2% pp, f19.95) Ecological Effects of Wastewater: Applied Limnology and Pollutant Effects by E.B. Welch (Chapman & Hall, London, UK, 1992, 425 pp, f39.95) The Economics of Coastal Management: A Manual of Benefit Assessment Technique.7 bv Edmund C. Penning-Rowsell et al (Belhaven Press, London, UK, 1992, 380 pp, f99.00)
LAND USE POLICY
April 1993