KNU land policy (English Version)

other categories.
• Sacred sites such as traditional burial grounds
• Cultural heritage sites
It must be recognized that customary rules and regulations are
fluid and dynamic over time, and can vary and change from
village to village and from area to area.
1.4.3 Village Lands: Village lands refer to the lands inhabited and
used by members of a local village community. Such village
lands may include communal lands held in common, maintained,
and used by all members of the local village community, as well
as household/ family-owned plots of land used for agriculture or
housing. Village Lands are administered by Village Land
Committees as detailed in Section 3.5.
1.4.4 “Ku”: The traditional system of Karen upland rotational farming.
This system is ecologically sustainable and is based on shortterm
cropping interspersed with longer-term fallow periods to
allow the forest to recover. The practices of “ku” are embedded
in Karen culture, social customs, spiritual practice, and the “kaw”
system of land tenure. Traditionally, members of the village know
who is cultivating each area, and they respect the rights of the
cultivators to the production of their land. Fallowed areas are
vital to build up the soil, and therefore secure rights to the
fallowed lands are essential for communities practicing “ku”.
1.4.5 Informal tenure: refers to situations where land occupants and
users, especially from marginalized and vulnerable people and
communities, such as IDPs and refugees, have not yet had their
land use practices recognized by KNU Authorities and/or
customary authorities.
10 Karen National Union (KNU)