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Natural resource conflicts are disagreements and disputes
over access to, and control and use of, natural resources.
These conflicts often emerge because people have different
uses for resources, or want to manage them in different ways.
Disagreements also arise when these interests and needs are
incompatible, or when the priorities of some user groups are
not considered in policies, programmes and projects. Such
conflicts of interest are an inevitable feature of all societies.
Conflicts, if not addressed, can escalate into violence, cause
environmental degradation, disrupt projects and undermine
livelihoods. Acknowledging that conflict is a common feature
of any resource use system is a prerequisite for sustainable
management that is participatory and equitable. Development
projects, also in forestry, may offer means to address natural
resource based conflicts. On the other hand, they may also
create new ones. This may happen if participation to the project
is inadequate, or if potential sources of conflicts are not
adequately identified. Greater stakeholder involvement in
the decision-making process itself can also result in conflict
among the various stakeholders. Disagreement over access rights,
lack of consensus on management objectives and lack of information
or misunderstandings emerge in most settings.
All communities have their own ways of handling conflicts.
Although the specific strategies may vary, people generally
rely on the same basic procedural modes to handle conflicts:
Conflict resolution strategies. Source: FAO/FTP
- Conflict and Natural Resource Management (2000)
| avoidance |
Acting in ways to keep a conflict from becoming publicly
acknowledged. |
| coercion |
Threatening or using force to impose one's will. |
| negotiation |
Following a voluntary process in which parties reach
agreement through consensus. |
| mediation |
Using a third party to facilitate the negotiation process.
(A mediator lacks the authority to impose a solution).
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| arbitration |
Submitting a conflict to a mutually agreeable third
party, who renders a decision |
| adjudication |
Relying on a judge or administrator to make a binding
decision. |
In any context, legal and customary systems for conflict
management exist together. Both have strengths and weaknesses
related to access and rigour. In addition, in development
projects alternative conflict management strategies may be
employed, based on joint decision making. When the costs of
conflicts are great for all participants in a dispute, when
the issues are highly complex, and when building good, long-term
relationships among the parties is important, alternative
conflict management has a number of distinct advantages over
adversarial strategies of achieving objectives, such as lawsuits
or confrontation. Alternative conflict management techniques
seek win-win agreements by engaging parties into improved
communication and negotiation.
FAO published a very informative primer on natural resource
conflicts and approaches to resolutions (FAO,
2000).
Natural resources conflicts are common, and practical examples
of successful conflict resolution are rare - particularly
where human population densities are high. One of the most
extensively implemented success stories under extremely difficult
circumstances of conflict between state (forest) departments
and local communities has been participatory planning processes
for Joint Forest Management (JFM) in India.
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