The world is currently experiencing an unprecedented, global run on water, land, fossil and mineral deposits, as well as genetic resources. In this race, governments and companies are [...] asserting their interests, citizens’ rights of participation and basic human rights are falling by the wayside and civil society’s scope for action is being massively curtailed. This is documented in “Tricky Business: Space for Civil Society in Natural Resource Struggles”, a study published today by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). According to the study, procedures based on the rule of law and statutory environmental and social standards are suspended if they run contrary to the interests of investors...

...The paper focuses on patterns and dynamics in the curtailment of civil society organizations and activists who speak out against land grabbing and environmental degradation, advocate environmental protection and the fair use of resources, and insist on participation. The study also formulates a series of strategy recommendations for defending and recapturing civil society’s space for action.