Prospects for stakeholder cooperation in effective implementation of enhanced rangeland restoration techniques in southern Tunisia

The objective of this paper is to identify prospects for stakeholder cooperation for effective implementation of enhanced rangeland restoration techniques under different land tenure status in Tataouine Governorate of southern Tunisia, through the rest technique locally called “Gdel.” This technique consists of leaving a given rangeland at rest to reconstitute the plant cover. A stakeholder analysis was conducted using the MACTOR methodological framework to analyze stakeholders’ strategies and their balance of power in terms of rangeland management decisions, specifically regarding the implementation of resting, which involves a high level of collective action. Data collection was based on two focus group discussions with the nine main stakeholders involved directly and indirectly in Tunisian rangeland management. Stakeholders’ perceptions about resting are compared across private and collective land tenure systems. Findings show a wide diversity in stakeholder relationships, in terms of influences, dependencies, and balance of power, with differences between collective and private tenure systems. In private rangelands, equal levels of stakeholder influence and power lead to a much more stable and flexible rangeland restoration process, with more alliances and consensual objectives among almost all stakeholders. The situation in collective rangelands is very different because the majority of stakeholders have a weak influence in terms of management decisions, with fewer alliances and more conflictual objectives among them. Pathways for stakeholder cooperation and long-term empowerment are suggested for effective implementation of rangeland restoration techniques involving collective action.