Shared strengths and limitations of participatory forest management and area exclosure: two major state led landscape rehabilitation mechanisms in Ethiopia

H. Kassa,H. Baral,L. Putzel,E. Birhane,P. Cronkleton,M. Bekele,M. Lemenih,W. Tadesse

doi:10.1505/146554817822330560

Abstract

Participatory forest management (PFM) and area exclosure (AE) are two major degraded forests and agricultural landscapes rehabilitation mechanisms in Ethiopia. This study examined shared strengths and limitations of PFM and AE. The major strength of PFM is that the process begins by convincing communities to establish access and management norms in defined areas within natural forests that are traditionally under de facto open access regimes. In establishing AE, communities are engaged and encouraged to identify, demarcate and socially fence degraded communal lands to ensure proper conservation in accordance with agreed bylaws. However, both PFM and AE also exhibit some common problems: unclear ownership and use rights, low levels of community participation, poor productivity and weak institutions undermine positive gains and sustainability of the two state-led FLR mechanisms in Ethiopia. This research identified measures that would potentially improve the outcomes of PFM and AE in rehabilitating degraded forests and lands in Ethiopia.

Highlights

The need to restore landscapes was emphasized as early as the 1980s, the subject began to receive global attention after the Bonn Challenge was established in 2011 to meet an ambitious target of restoring 150 million ha of degraded lands by 2020 (Pistorius et al 2017)
In Ethiopia, Participatory forest management (PFM) was introduced with the intention of improving community access to and use of natural forests according to management plans that would be negotiated between communities and forest authorities
This paper examines how these two major landscape rehabilitation mechanisms are used in Ethiopia, suggesting improvement measures that could enhance the sustainability of Forest landscape rehabilitation (FLR) initiatives by making them work better for communities

Summary

Introduction

The need to restore landscapes was emphasized as early as the 1980s, the subject began to receive global attention after the Bonn Challenge was established in 2011 to meet an ambitious target of restoring 150 million ha of degraded lands by 2020 (Pistorius et al 2017). Community Forest Management, introduced in Ethiopia as Participatory Forest Management (PFM), has been the most widespread approach to conserving natural forests in developing countries its impact on improving the livelihoods of communities and human well being in general has been minimal (Rasolofoson et al 2017). In Ethiopia, PFM was introduced with the intention of improving community access to and use of natural forests according to management plans that would be negotiated between communities and forest authorities. Ethiopia has practiced PFM since the mid-1990s, a number of studies have highlighted the need to address challenges that undermine its sustainability

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion