Rural crime is different to urban crime and, with increasing globalisation and ease of travel, is probably on the rise. Yet, its recognition as a special issue for governments to consider is slow. Articles in this issue of the journal discuss difficulties with how to define 'rural crime', training law enforcers in how to appropriately deal with 'rurality', insights from those who must implement the law, and the fraught issue of creating policies and regulations that effectively curb rural crime.

This issue publishes peer reviewed unsolicited articles that fulfill the objectives of the IJRLP.

The articles in this special issues themed 'Thriving through transformation: Ideas for local to global sustainability’ address a spectrum of issues on sustainable transformation of the human existence to one that is more within the limits of our social, cultural, ecological, environmental, economic and political systems.

Articles in this special issue of the International Journal of Rural Law and Policy arose out of a conference titled 'Mining in a sustainable world'. The conference was held at the University of New England and was a joing initiative of the University's Peace Studies and Australian Centre of for Agriculture and Law. The aim of the conference was to create a forum for open, high-level discussion of contentious issues surrounding mining. Politicians, economists, social scientists, lawyers and members of the community attended the conference. Unfortunately, industry, in spite of being specifically invited, declined to attend.

This issue of the journal contains articles arising from presentations made at the conference, as well as short commentaries from various delegates, the conference program, and abstracts and bios of presenters.

Occasional papers are submissions  to the journal and published once they have undergone a peer review and editorial process.

The papers in this issue of the journal are a selection of those presented at a workshop held on 15 and 16 November 2012 by the Law Faculty's Asea-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL) on the theme of 'REDD+ and legal regimes of mangroves, peatlands and other wetlands: ASEAN and the world'. The workshop was supported by the National Climate Change Secretariat, Singapore.

This edition publishes five papers and the abstracts (some with details of where further information about the presentation topic can be found) from the Second National Rural and Regional Law and Justice Conference. Academic researchers, policy makers, practitioners, service providers and representatitves from non-government organisations come together at the conference to consider and discuss law and justice issues confronting rural and regional Australia. Presentations covered a broad range of issues, including legal services and legal practice in rural and regional communities, legal education, management of conflict and broader issues of rural services, rural opportunity and Indigenous inclusion. Like the presentations at the conference, the papers in this special edition present a critical analysis of the identified problems, and focus on debating solutions which might deliver improved social justice outcomes for rural and regional communities.

These papers are published once peer reviewed and accepted by the chief editor

This edition brings together issues of natural resources, social dynamics and complex policy challenges. The specific issues and the ways in which they are being addressed vary greatly around the world. While water law varies in response to the unique legal, social and ecological challnges of each jurisdiction, there are over-arching challenges to the effective use of the law. Water governance and legal scholarship can provide new insights into ways to address these universal challenges.