Abstract
In this systematic review of 68 English-language articles we explore the roles of customary authorities in environmental governance in sub-Saharan Africa. We identify four roles that customary authorities take: a managing role is most common, followed by supporting, enforcing, and rent-seeking roles. These roles often occur in combination (most commonly managing with rent-seeking and managing with supporting) and in many environmental domains, often involving land. Importantly, the impact of customary authorities on environmental governance is more often positive than negative, especially in supportive roles and in the environmental domains of biodiversity and climate change. Rent-seeking is most often associated with negative environmental outcomes; managing both with positive and negative outcomes. Unclear relationships or legal frameworks between customary authorities and the state are also associated with less effective governance. Our work demonstrates the important roles of customary authorities in environmental governance and provides suggestions for further comparative analysis.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their feedback on the manuscript, which helped to improve the quality of the final product considerably.