Underpinning Land Management - A major challenge for the global surveying profession

Sound land management is the key to achieve sustainable development and to support the global agenda set by adoption of the Millennium, Development Goals. Land Administration Systems are the basis for conceptualizing rights, restrictions and responsibilities related to people, policies and places. Property rights are normally concerned with ownership and tenure whereas restrictions usually control use and activities on land. Responsibilities relate more to a social, ethical commitment or attitude to environmental sustainability and good husbandry. This paper provides an overall understanding of the concept of land administration systems for dealing with rights, restrictions and responsibilities in future spatially enabled government. This paper presents the role of FIG with regard to building the capacity in this area and responding to the global agenda.