Author Matiru, V.

Year of publication 2000

Natural resources conflicts are disagreements and disputes over access to, and control and use of, natural resources. These conflicts often emerge because people have different uses for resources such as forests, water, pastures and land, or want to manage them in different ways. Disagreements also arise when these interests and needs are incompatible, or when the priorities of some user groups are not considered in policies, programmes and projects. Such conflicts of interest are an inevitable feature of all societies. In recent years, the scope and magnitude of natural resource conflicts have increased and intensified. These conflicts, if not addressed, can escalate into violence, cause environmental degradation, disrupt projects and undermine livelihoods. Acknowledging that conflict is a common feature of any resource use system is a prerequisite for sustainable management that is participatory and equitable. This short booklet presents in a clear way, what conflicts are, which are the main actors and which are the strategies and approaches that can be used by project managers, local communities and resource users, to manage and resolve conflicts.