Ecological movements - strategies for managing conflicts around natural resources-A case of forests

Abstract

The state owns and controls the natural resources in India. It is accountable for scarcity of natural resources through its actions or inaction. It is also responsible for the design of a system of property rights for the resources. Ambiguity in the structure of rights can give rise to contending claims. Contending claims to rights over scarce natural resources give rise to conflicts. Several such conflicts have evolved into ecological movements. These movements have the potential to influence the management of natural resources because they are directed at the state with the aim of changing the policies that generated the conflict. Viewed teleologically, ecological movements can be seen as mechanisms for resolving conflicts around natural resources. This study focused on contemporary forest –related ecological movements and the processes of conflict resolution. The objectives of the research were : 1. To explain how and why ecological movements choose their strategies and tactics in resolving the conflicts which generated the movement, and 2. To relate the processes of conflict resolution to the outcomes. The research was exploratory, attempting to formulate hypotheses regarding the processes of conflict resolution. The insights gained can be of use to both activists involved in ecological movements and policy makers in managing conflict around ecological issues. The multiple, embedded case study format was adopted using a combination of semi-structured, in-depth interviews of various actors, participant observation and a detailed analysis of documents. The unit of analysis was the ecological movement and the embedded units were the key episodes and interactions between the parties to the conflict. The analysis was done in to parts – within case and then across cases. The logical basis for analysis was derived chiefly from the “constant comparative method’ propounded by Glaeser and Strauss (1967). An episodic approach was used to reconstruct the processes and to construct the logic underlying the denouement of the events. Three forest related movements in Karnataka were studied. 1. The ‘Appiko’ movement against the clear felling of forests in Uttara Kannada district. 2. The movement led by the Sewasagar Trust in Shimoga district, against the classification and transfer of C & D lands for lease to forest-based industries. 3. The movement led by the Samaja Parivartana Samudaya, in the Dharwar district, against lease of forests traditionally used as common lands by the people to industry. The study highlights that people resort to movements only when the institutional means of articulating conflict prove ineffective. Had the state been proactive, the conflicts would not have developed into protracted struggles. It also highlights the fact that in regions that have a history of successful movements, the people are more likely to resort to collective action. At the conflict manifestation phase, movements can follow six different paths, depending on the sequence in which the stages of its life-cycle appear. They study indicates that the path taken in this phase forces many choices on the movement, affecting the strategies and tactics it chooses. The study shows that it is strategically important for the movement activists to see the state not as a monolith, but as a sympathetic elements. Recognising this, they can strengthen the movement by differentiating strategies. In order to build a support base within the system, they can use co-operative strategies for the sympathisers, if possible simultaneously, with the usual confrontational strategies. The study finds that movements that concentrate initially on building a mass consciousness and strength at the grassroots, need to depend less on support from media, judiciary, politicians, etc. process of conflict resolution, obviating the need for other strategies involving protracted struggles. It is found that it is strategically advantageous for movements to frame their issues as a cumulative series of smaller demands, that progressively took them closer to their objective. This strategy ensures initial success, that helps attract more support, strengthens convictions, builds confidence and credibility among the movement adherents. This in turn increased the chances of success of subsequent actions. Some implications for the policymakers and implementors are: It is important for the administrator to recognize the true nature and strength of the movement. If it has a strong grass roots base and a diffused, decentralized leadership, it becomes necessary to conduct negotiations at the grassroots level. Discussions held with what may seem as the leading group, may remain inconsequential if the grassroots leadership has not been involved. Any attempts to coopt leaders or to divide groups by promising short term benefits that could wean any some movement adherents, proves counterproductive in the long run by generating frustration and more aggression. Therefore movements must be recognized as legitimate means for expressing collective discontent and articulating collective demands. Such an attitude helps smoothen the process of conflict resolution and prevents conflict escalation. They study revealed that where there is a heightened consciousness among the people, the grassroots response tends to be better to a diffused and decentralized leadership rather than to a centralized one, with a stronger grassroots base, strategies are more likely to succeed. Therefore, contrary to some indication in theory, a bureaucratic, centralized movement organization is not necessarily more likely to succeed. The theoretical contributions of the research are: 1. A conceptual framework has been developed, that links the structure of rights and the characteristics of natural resource to the nature of conflict, which in the presence of certain contextual factors, has implications for the evolution and development of movements. This framework can be used for analyzing conflicts around publicly owned and controlled natural resources. 2. The strategies and tactics used by the ecological movements have been identified and classified across a continuum from conciliation to coercion. 3. The factors that affect the choice of strategies and tactics were identified and categorized. 4. The stages in the life cycle of an ecological movement, covering both the conflict manifestation and the conflict resolution phases have been conceptualized. 5. Propositions have been developed, linking the strategies, the factors affecting their choice, and the outcomes.