India, Feb. 27 -- Almost 60 per cent of customary lands mapped across 64 countries are under growing pressure from industrial and commercial activities, with renewable energy projects emerging as the single largest source of overlap, according to a major new global assessment.

The report, The Status of Land Tenure and Governance, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Land Coalition (ILC) and the Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD), highlights mounting competition over lands that are critical for climate stability, biodiversity and community livelihoods.

The assessment shows that 42 per cent of the customary territories und...