Title Conservancies, rainfall anomalies and communal violence: subnational evidence from East Africa
Authors SÁNCHEZ CARRASCO, ALFONSO, Fernandez, Alvaro , Gonzalez, Juan B.
External publication No
Means J. Mod. Afr. Stud.
Scope Article
Nature Científica
JCR Quartile 3
SJR Quartile 2
Web https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85164436183&doi=10.1017%2fS0022278X22000416&partnerID=40&md5=7a721699847ea48828bce4e815360048
Publication date 01/03/2023
ISI 001019700900005
Scopus Id 2-s2.0-85164436183
DOI 10.1017/S0022278X22000416
Abstract Are conservancies hotspots for communal violence and if so, do rainfall anomalies increase the likelihood of violence? The consensus from a rich number of case studies suggests that conservancies (e.g. national parks, game reserves) increase tensions between communities, which often lead to violent conflicts. Yet, these insights remain to be empirically tested using a large-N study. We examine this claim and explore if rainfall anomalies have an amplifying effect on violent conflicts. We contend that the spatial convergence between conservancies and rainfall variability can spark conflicts over access to resources in times of scarcity and create strategic opportunities to satisfy secondary goals in times of abundance. To test our expectations, we use sub-national data from East Africa between 1990 and 2018. Our results suggest that regions with conservancies are somewhat more prone to communal violence and find strong evidence that positive rainfall anomalies increase the likelihood of violent communal conflicts in regions with a conservancy.
Keywords Climate change; conservancies; communal conflict; East Africa
Universidad Loyola members

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