Building natural resource monitoring capacity in Ethiopia’s key Afro-montane ecosystems

 

• Contract Holder Institution: The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute
• Host country Partner Institution(s): Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority
• Start/End dates of Project: 1st April 2009 - 31st March 2012
• Project Leader Name: Justin Irvine / Simon Thirgood

 

Project Background

This DI project (known in-country as Community Afro-montane Monitoring Project - CAMP) aims to build the human and institutional capacity for natural resource monitoring and thereby contribute to community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Afro-montane areas (land over 3000m asl), in Ethiopia The project is working towards improved community governance and ownership over natural resources as a mechanism to improve local livelihoods and increase ecosystem resilience.

The project tackles both policy and legislation development at regional and federal level and at the same time aims to build capacity of local people in the field.

The project is gaining profile within Ethiopia through its membership and involvement in the Ethiopian PFM working group and local government have been involved in the project from the beginning. As such, the project’s concept and approach have been adopted by key stakeholders, and other conservation and development actors, including federal and local government. The commitment by local government to institutionalise the approach will be a key component in building sustainability.

To date there have been substantial improvements in coordination and partnerships between government and communities to support CBNRM. Indicators for monitoring attitudes, buy-in, and cooperation have been developed and baseline data collected. Indicators have also been developed at community and national level for understanding, support and awareness of CBNRM and CBM. We will also monitor how CBNRM legislation and its implementation changes, partially due to the projects activities and also how institutions (Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and government) are strengthened to support CBNRM.

The implementation of new federal regulations, put in place after the project was conceived, does not now allow resource use inside ‘National Parks’. This has changed the focus of the project area. Currently the project is now working in 3 forest areas immediately adjacent to the Bale Mountains National Park rather than inside it, in addition to the Guassa and Abune Yoseph Community Conservation Areas (Fig 1). There is increasing commitment for CBNRM in Ethiopia and new legislation and donor funded projects are supporting its implementation.