Environmental Peacebuilding in Difficult Contexts: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Conditions for Communal Cooperation in Somalia
Publisher: Journal of Peace Research
Author(s): Osman M. Jama, Tobias Ide, Oliver Fritsch, and Paul Taucher
Date: 2026
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Prevention, Cooperation, Governance, Peace Agreements, Peace and Security Operations, Programming, Renewable Resources
Countries: Australia, Germany, Somalia
This article examines the conditions under which local environmental peacebuilding emerges and is sustained in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, with a focus on intercommunal water governance in Puntland, Somalia. Drawing on primary data from 22 cases between 2015 and 2023, the authors use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explain why some communities cooperate over shared resources while others experience conflict. The study emphasizes bottom-up, community-driven processes, highlighting how local dynamics, rather than external interventions, shape environmental peacebuilding outcomes. The findings show that successful environmental peacebuilding depends on a combination of key factors, particularly preexisting trust, mutual interdependence, and strong traditional institutions such as customary law and community elders. When these factors align, local communities are more likely to manage shared resources peacefully and build stability despite political fragility and environmental stress. Building on this insight, the study shows that environmental peacebuilding is both demanding and highly context dependent at the grassroots level. However, even in settings marked by resource scarcity, weak governance, and climate stress, successful environmental peacebuilding remains possible under the right conditions. This challenges narratives that portray resource scarcity as inevitably leading to violence and highlights the capacity of local actors to develop bottom-up cooperative solutions, while also recognizing the need for careful support to avoid unintended inequalities or tensions.