Governing Nature and Ethiopia: Struggles around World Heritage, Nation-Building and Ecologies (1963–2012)

Simien National Park, Ethiopia, became a battleground of competing visions: international conservationists sought to preserve its pristine landscapes, while Ethiopian state leaders leveraged Western ecological ethics to assert national authority. This struggle, analyzed through decades of official documents (1963–2012), exposed tensions between global heritage narratives and local realities, often resulting in material and symbolic violence against resident populations deemed responsible for 'degrading' the park's protected status. The study reveals how World Heritage designation both empowered Ethiopia’s nation-building efforts and entrenched power imbalances, illustrating the complex interplay between conservation, politics, and ecology.

Blanc, G. (2018). Governing Nature and Ethiopia: Struggles around World Heritage, Nation-Building and Ecologies (1963–2012). Northeast African Studies, 18(1-2), 137–164. https://doi.org/10.14321/nortafristud.18.1-2.0137