Degradation of land, water and vegetation in the highlands of eastern Africa is on the increase in the face of the enforcement of natural resource management (NRM) policies and related by-laws. In this study, reasons behind the limited contribution of NRM by-laws in arresting degradation of natural resources in the highlands of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda are presented, and opportunities to improve effectiveness identified. Using key informants interviews, focus group discussions, workshops, case studies and literature review, it is shown that inadequate community participation in the process of by-laws formulation and enforcement is the main reason for the ineffectiveness of most NRM by-laws in the three countries. When communities are fully involved in the process of NRM by-laws formulation and enforcement and both conventional and indigenous by-laws enforcement mechanisms are adopted, incidences of abuse of natural resources were reduced by as much as 50% in some of the study sites. © 2016 Informa UK Limited.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1080/14728028.2016.1159998Altmetric score:
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Publication year
2016
Authors
Mowo J; Masuki K; Lyamchai C; Tanui J; Adimassu, Z.; Kamugisha, R.N.
Language
English
Keywords
greenhouse gases, land, livelihoods, water
Geographic
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia
