Conflict-sensitive Conservation: Field report from Queen Elizabeth National Park

The report details a December 2006 workshop used to test the first section of the CSC Manual, 'Assessing Conflict'. Participants identified and prioritised conflicts around Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), specifically focusing on pastoralist encroachment and policy implementation gaps. Using tools like Conflict Trees, Conflict Mapping, and Stakeholder Analysis, the workshop identified root causes—such as land scarcity and ethnic rivalry—and proposed entry points for conflict resolution and sensitivity strategies for the CARE REPA programme.

• The prioritisation exercise identified 'competing land use conflicts' as the highest-ranked conflict category, followed by 'policy gaps and inconsistent implementation'.
• Analysis of pastoralist encroachment into the park revealed root causes including population pressure, limited land outside protected areas, and protracted ethnic conflicts between the Bakonzo and Basongora.
• Policy failure conflicts are driven by a lack of local participation in national policy making, corruption, and institutional disputes, such as those between the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Department for Fisheries and Resources over the Kazinga Channel.
• Stakeholder analysis of the pastoralist encroachment conflict highlights a clash between the UWA's position that 'Encroachers should be resettled outside the PA' and the Basongora lobby group's claim that 'Ancestral land should be returned'.
• Proposed entry points for addressing pastoralist encroachment include promoting dialogue between communities and the UWA, supporting Problem Animal Management (PAM) initiatives, and advocating for land access issues with the central government.
• For policy-related conflicts, identified entry points include monitoring policy implementation to provide feedback to duty bearers and hosting stakeholder workshops to negotiate win-win settlements.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2009). Conflict-sensitive Conservation: Field report from Queen Elizabeth National Park. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict_queen_elizabeth_park.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Conflict-sensitive Conservation: Field report from Queen Elizabeth National Park. 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict_queen_elizabeth_park.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Conflict-sensitive Conservation: Field report from Queen Elizabeth National Park |date=2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict_queen_elizabeth_park.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2009conflictsensitive, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Conflict-sensitive Conservation: Field report from Queen Elizabeth National Park}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict_queen_elizabeth_park.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }