ABSTRACT
Management, conservation and governance of biodiversity and landscapes often follow global values and standards. The Ethiopian state considered the involvement of African Parks Foundation in managing protected areas in the country as an opportunity to bring in international expertise, experience and capital to make protected area management and governance more effective and integrated. The establishment of protected areas in Ethiopia gained momentum after country’s participation in the 12th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 1962 in Paris. Protected area governance has always been very difficult in Ethiopia. The role of the state authorities in Ethiopia is a difficult one. The complexity and sensitivity of eco-resettlement in the form of forceful eviction from national parks has a long tenure in Ethiopia. The zoning would have fundamentally changed the use and management patterns of local people in the park, likely with massive negative impacts on their livelihoods, and would have ultimately led to the resettlement of local people, particularly Guji.
