Environmental conflicts as key factors influencing participatory environmental communication and sustainable development of a rural society

Abstract

Abstract Natural resource protection in Africa, particularly in rural communities, requires effective communication between resource managers and community residents. Environmental conflict, however, impedes the efficacy of communication strategies. Thus, this study investigates evidence of environmental conflicts as impeding factors for participatory environmental communication in a rural community‐based environment and forest program in Northern Ethiopia, run by Organization for Rehabilitation and Development (ORDA) in Amhara, Ethiopia, a non‐governmental organization seeking to address rural poverty. It also addresses how these factors could be mediated by local cultural institutions. In addition, the article outlines how these factors influence interventions to promote livelihood development, environmental security, and sustainable development. Qualitative data was collected through in‐depth interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, and observation. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to contact seventeen study participants. Participants were community members and professionals. The information was analyzed thematically. The study finds that environmental conflicts that arise from the community‐based socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological factors constitute a daunting obstacle to the sustainability of community projects, threatening the capacity of the community to manage common pool forest resources. At the same time, cultural interventions to reduce the occurrences, escalations, and prevalence of environmental conflicts are key to the success of participatory environmental communication measures and sustainable community‐based natural resource management in rural Africa, and should be included in implementation strategies by nongovernmental organizations such as ORDA.