Pastoral Rangelands Policy and Institutional Concerns in Ethiopia

The total grazing and browsing area in Ethiopia is about 62 million hectares at the peripheral which accounts about 60% of total land mass (PFE 2009). Pastoralists and agro-pastoralists are the main range land users. Range lands support livelihoods of about 12 million populations in dry lands of Ethiopia (CSA, 2007). Literatures are indicating that the range lands today are in danger of degradation due to natural and human induced factors (Coppock, 1994). Inappropriate management, inter alia, relates to. issues of land policy and administration. The objective of this review is therefore, to examine the institutional and policy gaps related to land policy and administration in pastoral range lands. In this respect, an assessment of land policies and institutions; The results of the desk review indicated that increasingly, the policies and legislation provide a more facilitating environment for sustainable use and management of range lands and their natural resources. Despite these positive policy moves, the full implementation is yet to be realized on the facilitating policies and legislation that protect range land resources for and by local populations. Until such time, pastoralists, and other rangeland users will continue to be facing many challenges. This paper highlights that though policy and legislation are improving, the land reform also needs to take into account and address; development of appropriate institutions with effective power; active participation of customary institutions and civil society engagement as a vital actions in securing land and resource rights.