RESISTING IMPOSED WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: ARSSI OROMO AND THE SENKELLE SWAYNE'S HARTEBEEST SANCTUARY, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Dispute over land-use between the local people and conservation agencies is becoming a serious problem in Africa. Ethiopia is no exception after the socialist regime (1974-1991) established most of the conservation areas in the 1970s. This has placed the local people in opposition with the imposed policy of wildlife conservation after the revolution of 1991. This paper examines the contemporary resistance by the Arssi Oromo against the conservation policy for the Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, and analyzes the historical relationships between the Arssi Oromo and the policy enforcement by Ethiopian governments. This paper also probes the current attitudes of the local people to the conservation policy through the indigenous utilization and management of the land. The Arssi Oromo have resisted certain policies, and coped with the changing situations through different strategies to maintain their access to the land. This paper concludes that local claims must be recognized and considered in conservation policymaking processes.