Abstract

Sigmund E. Christpoher, Wolfgang H. Lauda and Joseph Otto Lamar

Social learning processes can play an important role in enabling communities to sustainably manage the
natural resources they depend upon. We examine how a community in the highlands of Ethiopia has
succeeded to manage its communal pasture sustainably over the past decades. We identified three processes
that played a key role in enabling the community to take the window of opportunity offered by a radical policy
change to transform their management approach. Firstly, traditional leaders recognized the window of
opportunity and mobilized the community. Secondly, a participatory process led to an informal institution that
has governed the access and use of the communal pasture. Thirdly, the community was able to effectively
interact with various government agencies to safeguard its autonomy. The study thus indicates that, in face of
the complexity and uncertainty associated with pervasive change, social-ecological resilience relies on social
learning and the ability to engage in open-ended processes. It also emphasizes that rather than promoting
technical ‘packages’ that focus on the biophysical productivity of a natural resource, it may be more effective
to facilitate integrative social processes, thereby enabling communities to identify and implement locally
adapted management approaches.