Sustainable conservation practices in Tigray, Ethiopia
- Authors: Assefa, Mulat Zinabu
- Date: 2023-12
- Subjects: Nature conservation -- Economic aspects , Biodiversity conservation -- Economic aspects , Sustainable development -- Ethiopia
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/65532 , vital:74185
- Description: After the short-lived Derg regime's land reform in 1975, Ethiopia's smallholder farmers were granted equitable tenure and ownership rights for the first time in history. Furthermore, since 1991 there was a growing desire for better living conditions among smallholder farmers. As a result of the involvement of smallholder farmers, Sustainable Conservation Practices (SCP) was regarded as an effective symbol of government land and rural development policy in Ethiopia in the last two decades. SCP in Tigray, Ethiopia has been hailed as a model of conservation practices impacting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and sustainable development. It has, however, been accompanied by both criticism and acclaim. Contrary to the success narratives of the SCP, Tigray's smallholder farmers continue to face livelihood challenges and climate threats. The primary aim of this study was to critically assess and explain the livelihood impact of SCPs and ongoing participation in soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) among Tigrayan smallholder farmers. Previously, studies on the issue have focused on SWC techniques or local watershed management. There has been a lack of adequate research on the historical and political interactions between smallholder farmers and the state regarding land conservation in the past two decades. A mixed method approach was used to address this knowledge gap in four tabiyas through multiple sampling methods, using purposive sampling methods to select two reported models of conservation and random sampling methods to select two average tabiyas, in three different woredas. Mixed methods research was used to combine quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. The study revealed that Ethiopia's land use laws and policies under previous regimes have led to current challenges in sustainable land conservation and poverty reduction. As a result of land tenure laws and rights imposed by previous regimes, the challenges for the sustainable land use rights and land conservation practices continue to impact the livelihood of smallholder farmers. To demonstrate the success of land reform and conservation efforts, the government has been promoting the continued use of SWC practices by smallholder farmers in the last two decades. As part of SWC practices, political mobilisation and incentives such as safety-net programmes and agricultural inputs are used to encourage participation. Despite admirable advances in land degradation management, there were no appreciable differences between the results from the model and the average tabiya categories in terms of livelihood improvements. The success of the model tabiyas has proven difficult to replicate and it is still too early to judge whether the success of model tabiyas will be sustainable if they do not continue to receive extensive support from government and external stakeholders. The integration of local knowledge is crucial for the success of SCP, and the cumulative effect of the ‗one size fits all‘ approach in Tigray contributed to the failure to see substantial changes in the rural households. Thus, this study recommends the transformation of the rural and agricultural sector requires comprehensive, reliable, indigenous, and scientific paths that are informed by the local and lived experience of the rural households, rather than telling the success stories of conservation over again. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Economics, Development and Tourism, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-12
Social-ecological systems approaches to integrated estuarine governance: the Swartkops Estuary
- Authors: Hartmann, Ntombizanele Rebecca
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Aquatic resources conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Ecosystem management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Biodiversity conservation -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51483 , vital:43282
- Description: Estuaries are complex systems and should be defined as social-ecological systems. This study investigated whether the Swartkops Estuary was managed as a socialecological system and also argued for the resource to be characterised as a commonpool resource due to its ‘open access’ nature and being utilised by many users. People often live in close proximity to estuarine resources. This means that the ecological component of the estuary cannot be managed separately from the social system. There are feedbacks that result from the interactions taking place between the ecological and social components and these need to be considered. Furthermore, the interactions between humans and estuaries are complex and do not change in a linear, predictable manner. The research methods investigated two research aims: (i) to investigate whether social-ecological systems approaches are currently being adopted in the Swartkops Estuary; and (ii) the sustainable management of the Swartkops Estuary and potentially other estuaries in South Africa. The following research objectives formed the basis of this study: (i) to examine the current management system of the Swartkops Estuary; (ii) to determine and map the social and institutional actors for the Swartkops Estuary; (iii) to analyse the views of local stakeholders, authorities (policy makers) and policy implementers on the use of a social-ecological systems approach in the integrated management of the Swartkops Estuary; and (iv) to illustrate the potential advantages of adopting a social-ecological systems approach for ecosystem services and society. A mixed-method research design was applied in this study using questionnaires, semistructured interviews and focus groups discussions as data collection methods. The ecosystem services approach is one of the accepted approaches that links humans and ecosystems and the results of this study has demonstrated that the habitats of the Swartkops Estuary provide ecosystems systems to various stakeholders. Through the application of the natures’ contribution to peoples lens, this study has shown that estuaries contribute both positively (ecosystem services) and negatively (ecosystem disservices) to people. The findings of this study have revealed that the Swartkops Estuary faces sustainability challenges related to free-riding and the tragedy of the commons dichotomy. The governance of the Swartkops Estuary is weak due to the limited implementation of policy and regulatory requirements. This inadequacy in implementation has led to the overexploitation of living resources in the Swartkops Estuary because the ‘rulesin use’ are not respected and adhered to by users. This study therefore proposes guiding principles and practical implications for each of the following dimensions: (i) social-ecological systems; (ii) common-pool resources; and (iii) governance for integrated sustainable estuarine management. Challenges faced by estuaries are not only of ecological, social or economic nature; they involve a combination of all three. The sustainability of estuaries is therefore complex and requires management and governance that is designed to cope with, and adapt to, the social-ecological system changes. The novel contribution of this study is moving away from the orthodox approaches of examining the Swartkops Estuary by applying the SES approach to assess the governance of the estuary as a common-pool resource. , Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Humanities, Development Studies, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04