Actors interactions and local people’s resistance in participatory forest management in Chilimo-Gaji Forest, West Shewa, Ethiopia

Abstract

This article examines the nature and dynamics of actors’ interactions and describes how various forms of local people’s adaptation and everyday forms of resistances were employed in Chilimo-Gaji participatory forest management (PFM) in Ethiopia. Data were collected through key informant interviews, focus group discussions and structured field observations. The data were transcribed and indexed for analyses and interpretations. Our study showed that various forms of resistances to collaborative forest management schemes could undermine the intended goals of PFM and often resulted in conflicts between Forest User Group members and non-members. The local communities adopted illicit networks among participatory forest management executives and business people as adaptive strategy to access forest resources. When they found adaptation was not enough, or circumstances compelled them, they resorted to hidden forms of resistances towards PFM arrangements. The range of responses varied from circum-navigating legal and administrative caveats, sabotaging election of committee members to overt offenses on the forest management executives and the forest itself. These responses were employed by local communities to continually negotiate their customary rights and access forest resources for their livelihoods against the existing institutional configurations and stronger state and non-state actors. Consequently, understanding the dynamics of local level actors, power relationships among various actors and intra-actor interactions should be given due attentions to fully realize the intended goals of PFM arrangements in Ethiopia.

Keywords: actors’ networks, infra-politics, power relationship, resistances