Mixed-methods study finds governance and household factors linked to conservation policy views near Loka Abaya National Park

A mixed-methods observational study of communities adjacent to Loka Abaya National Park in southern Ethiopia found that residents’ perceptions of conservation policy effectiveness were associated with household circumstances, participation in park decisions, proximity to the park, land tenure and economic interactions with protected resources. The study did not establish that any of these factors caused the reported views.

Researchers surveyed 128 household heads in three purposively selected kebeles adjacent to the park between March and April 2025. The selected kebeles varied in proximity to the park boundary and documented levels of human-wildlife conflict and resource dependence. The broader national park covers 500 km², comprising 448 km² of terrestrial land and 52 km² of Lake Abaya, but the household survey was confined to households in the three selected communities rather than the entire protected area.

The study also conducted 12 key-informant interviews and six focus group discussions of six to eight participants each. The discussions were divided among male elders, female elders, male youth and female youth and examined governance, livelihoods, cultural knowledge and experiences of park management. Household questionnaires were translated into Sidaamu Afoo and pre-tested on 10 households in a non-sampled kebele. Interviews and focus groups were recorded with informed consent, and personally identifiable information was removed during data processing.

The conceptual framework combined Social Exchange Theory with the Institutional Analysis and Development framework. Social Exchange Theory examined how people weighed perceived costs of conservation, including crop or livestock damage and restricted resource access, against perceived benefits such as employment and infrastructure. The institutional framework considered how formal rules, informal norms, governance structures and participation shaped the distribution of those costs and benefits. Survey data were analysed with descriptive statistics, bivariate tests and ordered logistic regression, while interviews and focus groups were examined thematically.

Land-based livelihoods predominated among the 128 surveyed households. Cereal farming was the primary livelihood for 58 respondents, or 45.3%, while agro-pastoralism was primary for 36 respondents, or 28.1%. Off-farm labour was ranked last by 125 respondents. Resource use remained widespread despite restrictions under Ethiopia’s Wildlife Proclamation No. 541/2007: 45.3% of respondents reported using firewood and grass for cattle, 14.1% used construction wood only, and smaller shares reported combinations involving medicinal plants or other resources.

In the baseline ordered logistic regression, participation in park decision-making had the largest positive association with perceived policy effectiveness, with an odds ratio of 4.42. Higher monthly income, greater distance from the park, larger landholdings and conflict with park authorities were also associated with more favourable ratings. Each additional kilometre of distance had an odds ratio of 1.62, while conflict with park authorities had an odds ratio of 2.85. Education had a weak positive association at the 10% significance level, with an odds ratio of 1.10. The model was statistically significant, with a pseudo-R² of 0.2212.

Several variables were associated with less favourable assessments. A larger household had an odds ratio of 0.72, stronger economic interaction with the park had an odds ratio of 0.27, and secure land tenure had an odds ratio of 0.36. The authors interpret economic interaction largely as a proxy for extractive reliance, including unauthorised grazing and fuelwood collection. They suggest residents with secure tenure may view fixed park boundaries as obstacles to agricultural expansion or access to adjacent resources. They also interpret conflict with authorities as a possible sign of visible enforcement rather than as endorsement of enforcement; households that encounter rangers may regard policies as having an observable effect on protected areas.

Qualitative findings showed differences among demographic groups. Male and female elders emphasised cultural loss, restricted historical access to grazing areas and medicinal plants, and immediate livelihood threats. Female elders described longer journeys to collect fuelwood and water and were identified as custodians of traditional ecological knowledge. Youth focus groups were more positive about the park, citing potential future ecotourism employment and environmental protection, although they also recognised household hardship. Across the survey, cultural attachment to wildlife correlated strongly with believing human-wildlife conflict could be managed, at r = 0.768, and strongly and inversely with awareness of habitat loss, at r = -0.746. These were correlations rather than causal effects.

The findings have statistical and scope limitations. A Brant test rejected the proportional-odds assumption of the ordered logistic model, indicating that some predictors may be associated differently across the five response categories; the published regression is therefore a baseline rather than a fully robust final specification. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality. The sample included only 128 household heads in three purposively selected kebeles, and the regression could not adequately quantify cultural variables, which were examined mainly through correlations and qualitative work. Wildlife tolerance may also have endogeneity with the outcome, as acknowledged by the authors. Based on the study’s findings, the authors recommend participatory, rights-based co-management, predictable benefit-sharing, community-led buffer-zone management that respects land-tenure rights, environmental education linking traditional and scientific knowledge, and intergenerational programmes involving young people and women’s ecological knowledge. These proposed measures were not tested by the research.

Subject of Research: Mixed-methods study of local perceptions of conservation policy effectiveness around Loka Abaya National Park, Ethiopia

Article Title: Determinants of local communities’ perceptions of policy effectiveness in balancing conservation and livelihood needs in Loka Abaya National Park, southern Ethiopia

Article References: Girma, Z., Tensay, A., & Ayenew, B. (2026). Determinants of local communities’ perceptions of policy effectiveness in balancing conservation and livelihood needs in Loka Abaya National Park, southern Ethiopia. BioRisk, 24, 185-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.24.205627

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/biorisk.24.205627

Keywords: Loka Abaya National Park, conservation policy, community perceptions, protected areas, human-wildlife conflict, land tenure, decision-making participation, mixed-methods research, Ethiopia, Determinants, local, communities