Forest investments and channels of contestation in highland Ethiopia

Increasing demands for forest products and services in forest-limited places such as Ethiopia necessitate deeper consideration of the social, political, ecological and economic institutions that underpin forest access. Given the key role that forests play in rural livelihoods, access limitations associated with emerging agricultural and forest-based foreign land investments have significant implications for communities located at the forest-farm interface. While private investment in Ethiopian forests is limited, a lack of citizen empowerment and transparent information inhibits local communities and advocates from effectively monitoring and protecting resource rights. This paper describes the tenure systems surrounding forests in Ethiopia today and examines two aspects of emerging forest investments in Ethiopia and highlights spaces within them for social transformation that might lead to more equitable benefit sharing. First, it describes the absence of a uniform definition of forestland, and a lack of clear institutional authority and information transparency surrounding land deals affecting forests. Second, it illustrates constraints to local citizen participation in decision-making.