Environmental Studies Commons^™

Community Attitudes Toward Wildlife And Protected Areas In Ethiopia, Mekbeb E. Tessema, Robert J. Lilieholm, Zelealem T. Ashenafi, Nigel Leader-Williams

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Across Africa, national policies that established protected areas (PAs) typically limited local use of wildlife and other resources. Over time, these policies have raised tensions with rural communities and today threaten to undermine conservation goals. This article examines community–PA relationships at four important sites in Ethiopia—a country of rich tradition with an unusual colonial past. Using focus groups and household surveys, we found that despite local tensions, most respondents held positive views toward wildlife and nearby PAs. Factors influencing positive views included receiving PA benefits, good relations with PA staff, higher education levels, being older, having a large family, diversified …