NEOLIBERAL CONSERVATION" IN ETHIOPIA: AN ANALYSIS OF CURRENT CONFLICTS IN AND AROUND PROTECTED AREAS AND THEIR RESOLUTION

Abstract

Neoliberal conservation approaches have led to a rapid increase in African environmental protection practices since the 1990s. This paper aims to investigate the current management of protected areas (PAs), which is based on the neoliberal conservation approach adopted in Ethiopia in the 2000s, and to examine the cause and resolution of conflicts within the PA system. The results indicate that the state-private partnership established in the case of Nechisar National Park echoed the fortress conservation approach taken by the previous government and made conflicts with local communities more complicated and possibly unresolvable. Conversely, another case suggests that increased security with respect to the land and property rights of local communities reduces the incidence of land-use conflicts with park authorities. The new wildlife policy issued in 2007 may improve the overall community-based conservation dynamic and has great potential for providing improved solutions for conflicts due to increased understanding, appreciation, and valuing of local livelihoods by the government.