Institutional Arrangements and Management of Environmental Resources in Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted in three main eco-regions, namely Bale Mountains, South-West and Semien Eco-Regions in Ethiopia with the following objectives -to: (i) review the current institutional arrangements in terms of rights and responsibilities, planning system, capacity, and motivation of local communities for the management of environmental resources in Ethiopia in general, and the forest sector in particular and (ii) assess constraints for the successful implementation of policies/legislation, strategies, programs, projects and actions at a landscape level. Focus group discussion and semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Purposive sampling method was employed to select respondents. Environmental resources conservation and management (ERCM) institutions considered in this study were agriculture and natural resources, water, irrigation and electricity, land and environmental protection, local administration, and road authorities. Within the above-mentioned institutions a total of 56 questionnaires were administered and 48 interviews were conducted. The results show that the capacity of the existing institutions is constrained by lack of clear rights and responsibilities, absence of common result framework, absence of common planning system, high staff turnover, absence of spatial planners and failure to respond to the demands of community-based organizations. The institutional arrangements need critical review and analyses in order to design responsible institutions for ERCM at all levels, which includes availing knowledgeable and all-rounded professionals at all levels, with proper incentive mechanisms, who would be able to cope with future challenges emanating from climate change and other social tensions.

Forest Cover Change, Key Drivers and Community Perception in Wujig Mahgo Waren Forest of Northern Ethiopia

“…This is made evident from the results which show that the significant increase in cultivated and grassland has dictated the overall changes in the study area. The current growth of farmland and grassland at the expense of other LC types, especially forests and woodland, in the study area may be a manifestation of the weak or inappropriate institutional arrangements in the study area as it was observed in other parts of Ethiopia [47]. This has led to the inclusion of Wujig Mahgo Waren forest in the existing state forests according to the regional proclamation of 2012 [48], to continuously protect and manage it so that a continuous increment in the forest cover can be expected.…”

Ecosystem Service Values Changes in Response to Land-Use/Land-Cover Dynamics in Dry Afromontane Forest in Northern Ethiopia

“…This is made obvious from the results that show that the significant increase in cultivated and grassland has dictated the overall changes in the study area. The current growth of farmland and grassland at the expense of other land cover types—especially forests and woodland—in the study area may be a manifestation of the weak or inappropriate institutional arrangements in the study area, as has been observed in other parts of Ethiopia [52].…”

Institutional Functionality in Participatory Integrated Watershed Development of Tana Sub-Basin, Ethiopia

“…Another dimension that has been examined is understanding the institutional arrangements [17][18][19][20], institutional functionality and the performance culture, which has not been addressed adequately. Efforts are made to evaluate the role that institutional arrangements can play by considering two approaches in which one is considered successful as compared to the other to demonstrate the need to include the institutional dimension in the integrated watershed development interventions.…”