Environmental Scarcity and Natural Resource-Related Disputes in East Hararghe and West Hararghe Zones, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

This article reports our longitudinal ethnographic study on the nexus between environmental scarcity and natural resource-related disputes in East Hararghe and West Hararghe zones of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The data required for the study were obtained through key informant interviews, informal conversations, ethnographic observations and field notes. We systematically organized and analysed the data in such a way that they would reveal the impacts of the long-standing interactions between environmental scarcity and human factors in laying the foundations for and shaping natural resource-related disputes in the study area. The study suggests that natural resource-related disputes in the study area are rooted in the inability to create systems of societal resilience in the face of increasing environmental scarcity. Based on the findings of the study, we underscore that the concerned government and non-government agencies need to take integrated measures to promote environmental protection, environmental justice, conflict sensitivity and socio-ecological resilience.