A new report offers hope for rural communities fighting to protect their land and natural resources from global 'land grabbing'. The report, published by Namati and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), documented the experiences of communities, all located in Sub-Saharan Africa, who had survived years of war and upheaval merely to find their lands sought after by foreign investors and local elites. Pioneering collaboration between Namati, IDLO and local communities helped villagers use national laws to document community lands, protecting not only family land, but also common resources. The report concludes that community land protection should combine three processes: the technical task of mapping and titling community lands, the peace-building task of land conflict resolution, and the governance task of strengthening local land administration and management. Ilaria Bottigliero, Director of Research and Policy for the IDLO said "Land titling can be the key that unlocks traditional barriers faced by women and vulnerable groups in rural communities. Law and legal tools can be successfully used to mediate disputes over land claims and at the same time help empower rural communities to realize their rights." A community leader of one community in Liberia's Rivercess County went on to said. "I don't care what anyone says, this project is the best thing to happen in our history. Imagine: now we know our borders, we know our resources, we know our rules and they are written down for everyone to see and know. People are attending clan meetings; and our clan feels stronger together. This has never happened before! Now it is easy for us to organize and ask the government or [foreign investors] for things we want or refuse things we don't want in our community." According to the World Bank, between October 2008 and August 2009, transactions covering at least 56.6 million hectares--including 39.7 million hectares in sub-Saharan Africa, more than the size of Germany and Switzerland combined--were concluded or under negotiation.