Mr Osman Jama1
1Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
Biography:
Osman M. Jama is a PhD candidate at Murdoch University, where his research delves into the nexus of environment, peace, and security, with a special focus on environmental peacebuilding. In his PhD thesis, he aims to answer why we see environmental cooperation in some areas but not others. Through his work, Jama explores conditions under which local communities tend to cooperate over renewable resources use and what makes such cooperation collapse. Mr. Jama has previously published in journals such as the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Land Use Policy, Environment, Development and Sustainability.
Abstract:
Despite a growing interest in environmental peacebuilding in recent years, limited research has explored conditions contributing to successful intrastate environmental peacebuilding. Existing empirical studies are predominantly qualitative single-case studies, valued for their theoretical insights but criticized for their limited external validity. Cross-case comparisons, though scarce, often rely on secondary data, leading to definitional and methodological inconsistencies. This study addresses this gap by employing a multi-site, cross-case approach with fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to identify conditions under which local environmental cooperation successfully manages renewable natural resources in politically fragile contexts. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews from 22 cases in communities with water access points (boreholes) in Puntland state, Somalia, from 2015 to 2023. The QCA results revealed three critical conditions: strong previous trust, shared interest and interdependence, and strong traditional institutions. Our findings highlight that local communities find cooperative solutions to natural resource disputes even in politically very fragile, environmentally stressed, and highly climate-vulnerable places. Environment, peace, renewable resources, fsQCA, post-conflict Somalia
Keywords:
environment, peace, renewable resources, fsQCA, post-conflict Somalia