Description

Abstract: Pankhurst explores natural resource conflict management processes during the past century in South Wello, Ethiopia. The study examines how local groups and external agents, including officials and landowners, managed conflicts over communal pasture, forests and water for irrigation. Local, informal dispute settlement fora still operate. However, state institutions increasingly control conflict management processes and make attempts to take over the dispute resolution role of religious leaders. During times of political instability or changes in regimes, local populations reassert their priorities and challenge unpopular interventions. Overall, the outcomes of conflict management processes depend on the type of conflict and the power relations among stakeholders.