Conflicts in the land use in mountainous territories

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the causes of conflicts in the land use in land-hungry regions and to develop optimal solutions in land disputes. The research is based on the field data, collected in land- hungry regions of Russian Caucasus and historical data for same regions. We analyze the data acquired and use the system approach for developing a classification for studied conflicts. It supports the thesis that the agricultural land ownership is critical for the development of a stable regional system of agricultural production. In the majority of Russian regions land reform has been already carried out. Thus, market mechanisms for the functioning and realization of the right to use and possession of agricultural land are in effect. But in North Caucasus republics, institutionalization of land ownership is still vague. As a result, the number of disputes and conflicts in land use is growing. In the article, we carried out a classification of conflicts in land use and the analysis of land conflicts in the republics of the North Caucasus.