Forest investments and channels of contestation in highland Ethiopia

Abstract

Increasing demands for forest products and services in forest-limited places such as Ethiopia necessitate deeper consideration of the social, political, ecological and economic institutions that underpin forest access. Given the key role that forests play in rural livelihoods, access limitations associated with emerging agricultural and forest-based foreign land investments have significant implications for communities located at the forest-farm interface. While private investment in Ethiopian forests is limited, a lack of citizen empowerment and transparent information inhibits local communities and advocates from effectively monitoring and protecting resource rights. This paper describes the tenure systems surrounding forests in Ethiopia today and examines two aspects of emerging forest investments in Ethiopia and highlights spaces within them for social transformation that might lead to more equitable benefit sharing. First, it describes the absence of a uniform definition of forestland, and a lack of clear institutional authority and information transparency surrounding land deals affecting forests. Second, it illustrates constraints to local citizen participation in decision-making.

Keywords::

• forest access
• foreign investment
• contestation
• Ethiopia
• transparency

Notes

^1. See http://landmatrix.org/get-the-idea/global-map-investments/, retrieved 3 March 2013.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kathleen Guillozet

Dr. Kathleen Guillozet is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar with Virginia Tech. She is interested in forest-based livelihoods, riparian forest management, ecosystem services, and associated markets. She gratefully acknowledges the two anonymous reviewers, guest Editor Dr. Fassil Demissie, Journal Editors and Dr. John C. Bliss for their comments and edits which greatly improved the content of this article. She is especially thankful to the dedicated forestry experts and community members in Ethiopia whose concern for and knowledge of their country's forests is a source of inspiration.