Private-community Partnerships: Investigating a New Approach to Conservation and Development in Uganda

Private-community partnerships (PCPs) in conservation, intended to deliver mutual benefits for tourism ventures and local communities, often face significant challenges due to unbalanced power dynamics. A study analyzing a high-end eco-lodge partnership in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, found that technical frameworks overlooked political and contextual factors, leading to escalating conflicts that undermined the 'win-win' goals of such partnerships. The research used a policy arrangement approach to examine actors, power relations, and governing rules, revealing how these hybrid neoliberal conservation models can inadvertently foster conflict rather than sustainable development.

Van der Duim, V., Ahebwa, W., & Sandbrook, C. (2012). Private-community Partnerships: Investigating a New Approach to Conservation and Development in Uganda. Conservation and Society, 10(4), 305. https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-4923.105501