Intellectual Property Rights: Open Access

Abstract

Retrospect and Prospects of Combining Conservation and Development in Nechsar National Park, Southern Ethiopia

Tamagn Woyesa

The study was carried-out to assess the retrospect and prospect of conservation and development in Nechsar National Park among Guji Oromo pastoral community in Southern Ethiopia. To this end, data was collected through interview, focus group discussion and from written sources. The collected data was analyzed in qualitative approaches. The study results show that the park is in critical conditions as previous conservation efforts failed to provide significant improvement to neither the community nor biodiversity resources. Various ecological crises are vividly observed in the park. The pastoral Guji community residing within the park is completely dependent on Nechsar National Park resources for pasture and water for their livestock. The study identified that the previous attempt made to achieve conservation of the Park based on traditional top-down approach recognizes the community as a threat to conservation. There are challenges identified concerning the issues of conservation and development in the park as far as the Guji community is concerned. As a result the community has never been part of government conservation and tourism based benefit in the park. The effect in community eroded sense of ownership and developed negative perception towards park activities. This research also suggested the need of incorporating intangible cultural resources of the community which can be used as an asset for conservation adding on already identified traditional (natural) attractions in the Park. The study recommended the implementation of community based conservation in the park recognizing Guji community as active part of the conservation effort in and around the park. It also tried to see the possibility of enhancing protected area conservation through community based conservation to guarantee sustainability.