Minimizing the Livelihood Trade-Offs of Natural Resource Management in the Eastern African Highlands: Policy Implications of a Project in “Creative Governance”

German, Laura; Mazengia, Waga; Taye, Hailemichael; Tsegaye, Mesfin; Ayele, Shenkut; Charamila, Sarah; Wickama, Juma

doi:10.1007/s10745-009-9291-9

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Government, non-governmental and local management institutions individually or in combination regulate the conditions of access to and use of natural resources by mediating the effects of social, political, or cultural norms (Agrawal 1995). In some regions of East Africa, traditional (indigenous) institutions of resource management and government institutions both protect natural resources (Sokile and van Koppen 2003;German et al 2010). An increasing awareness of the value of traditional resource management (TRM) to local communities has highlighted the need to understand and document such systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Water Resource Management and Water Quality in Rural Tanzania

Strauch

Almedom

2011

Hum Ecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Traditional resource management (TRM) is largely based on local ecological knowledge (LEK). In regions where formal institutional control of natural resources is limited due to a lack of coordination or stakeholder involvement, communities rely on TRM to manage common-pool resources. This paper examines TRM among the Sonjo in rural Northern Tanzania, with particular reference to catchment forest protection and water quality. We first document the ecological knowledge of traditional resource managers, and then describe the differences between traditionally managed water sources and formal, government managed resources. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine water use, perceptions of water quality, and bacterial water quality, significant differences were detected among river basins within seasons and between seasons. Our findings indicate that the Sonjo, well known for their traditional forest conservation practices and irrigation management, may also benefit from TRM through improved water quality. The examination of traditional methods of water conservation provides insight into how communities in resource-stressed regions thrive despite seasonal droughts and flooding.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Water Resource Management and Water Quality in Rural Tanzania

Strauch

Almedom

2011

Hum Ecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, these plant species were among riparian plant having significant higher indicator values. Previous research has also reported that these plant species are streamside plants, which indicates that they inhabit relatively protected areas (Sisay & Mekonnen, ), whereas German et al () and Haregeweyn, Berhe, Tsunekawa, Tsubo, and Meshesha () reported that plants such as Ficus species are important woody plant species in catchment management.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Identifying riparian vegetation as indicator of stream water quality in the Gilgel Gibe catchment, southwestern Ethiopia

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Riparian land use has substantial effects on aquatic habitats and biological communities resulting in a dramatic loss of natural riparian vegetation and affecting the physicochemical properties of streams. The study investigates the relationships among indigenous riparian plants and water quality in the upper Gilgel Gibe catchment in southwestern Ethiopia. The floristic composition of the riparian vegetation and the water quality of streams were studied at selected sites, ranging from first‐ to third‐order streams. We quantified relationships between disturbance level and both physicochemical characters and traits of riparian plant species during two sampling periods (December 2013 and April 2014). Data were collected from a priori designated three land use types (forest, plantation, and agriculture) and ranked along nine streams. Ranks were based on surrounding land use characteristics and deforestation categories. We used analysis of variance and the Tukey's post‐hoc test to conduct pair‐wise comparisons among different land use types. Both species richness and diversity values of forest sites were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than agricultural sites. Whereas, stream water quality deterioration indicator gradient such as total suspended solid, water turbidity, and orthophosphate was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in agricultural sites than forest sites. We identified species such as Croton macrostachyus, Ficus sur, Maytenus arbutifolia, and Millettia ferruginea as indicator species of water quality (p < 0.05). Our study is the first assessment of the role of indigenous plant species as indicator of highland stream water quality in the tropical area. The study contributes to the ongoing discussion on the assessment and monitoring of stream ecosystems and for following stream restoration projects in tropical regions around the globe.

show abstract

“…Such rules and regulations embodied in a group constitution provide a socially legitimate and effective implementation and enforcement mechanism (German et al 2010). The latter authors argued that development and official sanctioning of collective choice rules becomes easier by formalising by-laws and binds community members more firmly to their agreements (German et al 2010). The inclusion of the management rights in the bundle of rights (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring governance structures of high altitude rangeland in Bhutan using Ostrom’s Design Principles

Tenzing

Millar

Black

2018

International Journal of the Commons

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

High altitude rangeland and livelihood systems in Bhutan are undergoing changes in resource availability, population and user rights. This paper explores the existing governance structures of high altitude rangelands in Bhutan using Ostrom's design principles as a framework for analysis. Qualitative interviews and focus group discussions were used to capture perceptions of 151 herders, sedentary livestock farmers and government officials across three case study sites. The research showed that most high altitude rangelands in the three case study sites have clear boundaries using natural and manmade landmarks along with a list of eligible users (design principle 1). Herders and livestock farmers have developed customary norms and rules to enforce and engender collective choice agreements for governance of high altitude rangeland (design principle 3). Community guards, appointed on a rotational basis, guarded communal pastures against infringement (design principle 4). Herders and livestock farmers have developed a graduated penalty system (design principle 5) and they were generally able to resolve most conflicts locally, however some were resolved through district courts (design principle 6). However, rights to organise (design principle 7) and a nested enterprise approach (design principle 8) did not feature explicitly in local governance discourses and narratives. Incongruence between provision and appropriation activities under existing governance structures of High altitude rangeland in Bhutan using Ostrom's Design Principles 429 high altitude rangeland in the case study sites may be attributed to the assignment of incomplete property rights (e.g. lack of management rights) in the bundle of rights. The research demonstrated assigning management rights in the bundle of rights and conformance to design principle 2 are inextricably linked, and vital for sustainable governance of high altitude rangeland. One way to institutionalise Ostrom's design principles into natural resource governance is formalising and codifying them in the form of a written group constitution and by-laws. The role of government policies, acts and laws that inform and constrain high altitude rangeland management are explored and changes suggested for improving the current governance system of high altitude rangeland in Bhutan.Keywords: Bhutan, high altitude rangelands, Ostrom's design principles, property rights, rights, semi-nomadic yak herding, sustainable governance Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Charles Sturt University, Australia, for providing a research grant. They would like to thank officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and the yak herders and livestock farmers from Merak, Sha Gogona, and Dakarla for their kind support. We would also like to thank Sergio Villamayor-Tomás, Frank van Laerhoven and three anonymous reviewers for reviewing the manuscript and for their valuable comments and suggestions for improvement.

show abstract

Minimizing the Livelihood Trade-Offs of Natural Resource Management in the Eastern African Highlands: Policy Implications of a Project in “Creative Governance”

Cited by 11 publications

References 14 publications

Traditional Water Resource Management and Water Quality in Rural Tanzania

Traditional Water Resource Management and Water Quality in Rural Tanzania

Identifying riparian vegetation as indicator of stream water quality in the Gilgel Gibe catchment, southwestern Ethiopia

Exploring governance structures of high altitude rangeland in Bhutan using Ostrom’s Design Principles

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About