Once land is formally secure and rights are legally recognised, establishing and strengthening the governance institutions that enable collective decision-making and community participation over resources is critical. Defining the structures and processes of governance is a key part of securing rights and ownership, and by helping to establish new institutions and strengthening existing ones, UCRT strengthens the ability of communities to oversee their land. Effective and accountable governance needs to exist at all levels—from the local, to district, to national—and without strong governance institutions at the local level, communities are not able to assert their rights and land security is threatened. This then creates ripe conditions for elite capture, both from powerful local actors as well as from national and foreign influence, bringing potential threats to the landscape such as individualization, fortress conservation, tourism, and agricultural expansion.
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In addition to the formal governance structures that accompany legal rights to land and resources, UCRT recognizes that communal land tenure cannot be successfully secured without traditional governance mechanisms that preceded formal land titles. It is important to build on these. For example, engaging traditional village systems is a first step to help inform formal village land use planning processes as part of securing collective land titles. We believe a combination of formal and traditional governance institutions help promote accountability and inclusion in land and resource management and also help to define access and use, resolve use conflicts, and determine relationships between communities and other entities. 

​“True governance grows from the ground up. At UCRT, we support systems where communities lead, traditions are respected, and all voices—especially those often unheard—shape the future.”
Makko Sinandei
​- UCRT's founding member 

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