CONFLICT, POWER AND MULTIPLE LAND USE ANALYSIS OF OLD OYO NATIONAL PARK

Oladapo Olukoya Oduntan Ph.dDepartment of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementCollege of Environmental Resources Management

Federal University of Agriculture, AbeokutaNigeria

Introduction National parks serve as cornerstone of conservation policies and provide multiple benefits for humankind

- Environmental- Social- Economic- etc (Balmford & Whitten 2003; Stolton et al. 2006, Stolton et al. 2008).

Competing claims”: a variety of perspectives bringing about Conflicts

Power: a variety of meanings can also identified

….‘negative’- some having control over others, the same

as domination

or something ‘positive’, as necessary for agency and

productive action?

….something ‘held’ by actors (powerful and powerless)

or something that pervades life, in all relationships and

discourses?….’zero-sum’ (always with

winners and losers)or something fluid and

accumulative?

The Problems • Whilst these areas

provide important multiple benefit at global, national and local levels; there is increasing concern about the conflict often involving National Park Resources and their neighboring Communities.

Picturing the Conflict• Over-exploitation of Park’s resources by neighboring

communities.• Crop damages and other damages caused by Wildlife in

neighboring communities.• Feelings that costs are mostly incurred by the local people

- Positively and Negatively

More people…

01

23

456

78

910

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050Year

Popu

latio

n (b

illio

n pe

ople)

Europe Northern AmericaOceania Latin America and the CaribbeanAfrica Asia

mid range projections as carried out by the UN population division

Global resource use

Objectives1. To evaluate the multiple benefits

characteristics of Old Oyo National Park to its Neighboring communities.

2. To analyse conflict involved in the claims on resources by the various stakeholder.

3. To analyse the powers of the stakeholders and the effect on resources management

Methodology

• Study Area

Map of Old Oyo National Park indicating Surrounding Communities

SURVEY METHODS

• 2 Communities sampled out of 5• - based on conflict prevalence in the study

areas• - distribution and abundance of Wild animals

Data CollectionCategories of respondents/Stakeholders

Objective(s) focused

Instrument(s) Used Sampling Procedure & Size

Household heads (HHs)

1,2 and 3 Open-Ended Questionnaire & In-depth Interview

All HHs ()Snowballing (Non-probability)

National Park Officials

2 and 3 In-depth Interview Representatives

Conservation Organization/NGO officials

2 and 3 In-depth Interview Representatives

Government Agencies Officials

2 and 3 In-depth Interview Representatives

Data Analysis

Objectives Focus Tool(s) Used

1 Multiple benefit rating Mantel (1965)

2 Conflict Analysis Competing Claims Analysis Matrix

3 Powers Analysis & Effect Picture Interpretation

Results

Evaluation of Multiple Benefits Derived from the Park by Villagers

Benefits (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Grades

1 3 0 0 1 3 3 12 2 0 2 3 3 4 13 0 0 1 1 2 0 04 1 4 2 22 35 42 55 21 23 27 37 21 14 276 37 37 32 0 0 1 30Sum of value2

10440 10923 9816 8803 7144 8083 9148

• Benefits Interpretation(1) – Firewood collection (2) - Food(3) - Medicinal value(4) - Recreation(5) - Timber(6) - Bushmeat(7) - Water

• Grades Interpretation6 – Indispensable5 – Very Important 4 – Important3 – More Significant2 – Significant1 - Insignificant

Competing Claims Analysis Matrix

 

Stake holders

What do they claim? What are the interests

behind the claim?

(what do they want to

get out of it)

Current benefits? Current costs?

Villagers Wild Animal Damages Compensation None Food Insecurity /

Poverty

Conservation

Organization / NGO

Wildlife Population

Decline / Habitat

Destruction

Conservation of

Biodiversity

International support Loss of Biodiversity

OONP Management Intolerable Killing of

Wild Animals by Locals

Free range and access to

land for Wildlife

Weak Legislative

Support

Decline in Wild animal

Population / Habitat

destruction

Government Officials Need for Food

Security / Poverty

Alleviation

Local Support /

Personal Interest

Vote / Local Acceptance -

Local Council Officials

Stakeholders and their Power Analysis

Old Oyo National Park Buffer zones

Villagers

Wild animals

Park Officials

CO / NGOs

Stakeholder’s Power

Stakeholder

Park Resources

Conclusion

• Land is the dominant benefit of the people in the study area

• Conflicting interest Park management and Local government council impedes strong policies that will protect wildlife in the study area.

• Powers / interest of the Local government councils opposes that of the Park guards / managers

Consideration Possible Solution

• Relocation??? - A lesson from the “De hoge veluwe”

• Compensation???• Sustained Reconciliation of Interest

Acknowledgement• Abogoh Oluwaseun – Graduate student• Adebowale Kareem – Graduate Student• Cora van Oosten – CDI, Netherlands• Nico Rozemeijer – CDI, Netherlands

Questions

Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta