PhD Defence: Forest Governance Dynamics in Ethiopia

On June 23rd, 2014, Alemayehu Negassa Ayana successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled "Forest Governance Dynamics in Ethiopia: Histories, arrangements, and practices".

Forests are one of the vital renewable resources that support the livelihoods of millions of people in Ethiopia. Despite their significance, Ethiopia is fast losing its forest resources due to intense and unsustainable human uses coupled with institutional and policy deficiencies.

If the purpose of the forest governance reform in Ethiopia was to replace one institutional structure with another, the reform efforts over the last five decades have been successful, but if it was also to redress the social and environmental challenges perceived in the prior period, it has largely failed.
Alemayehu Negassa Ayana

Forest governance in Ethiopia

This study aims to provide a better understanding of how forest governance has developed and been practiced in Ethiopia over the past five decades at multiple political-administrative levels by multitude of actors. The thesis thereby contributes to the scientific analysis of governance from the perspective of a country for which there is a dearth of relevant research. It also comprehensively explains the establishment process and performance of forest governance reforms in Ethiopia. It is hoped that the results will assist people who design and implement forest and related natural resource policies.