From restoration to ruin: Wildlife conservation dilemmas and ecological resilience in war-affected Tigray, northern Ethiopia

The armed conflict in Tigray (2020-2022), northern Ethiopia reversed decades of conservation gains, yet its impacts on wildlife conservation remain largely undocumented. This study aimed to examined the effects of the conflict and its associated ecological crises on wildlife conservation in the Hugumburda and Grat Kahsu dry Afromontane Forest, northern Ethiopia. The study was conducted in between November 2024 and September 2025. A qualitative mixed-methods research approach, combining structured surveys, interviews, field observations, archival data, social media, and international sources was employed to assess the impact of armed conflict on wildlife conservation. We found that the conflict caused severe habitat destruction, wildlife mortality, and the collapse of conservation governance. Habitat degradation was primarily driven by military occupation of forest areas, uncontrolled grazing, and illegal logging. The linear mixed model analysis revealed wildlife conservation capacity varied significantly across pre-, during-, and post-conflict phases, with time and distance identified as significant predictors. The repeated-measures ANOVA indicated significant changes in communities’ perceptions of wildlife conservation capacity over the three-armed conflict phases. Insecurity and weak community participation were identified as the main barriers to post-war conservation. Re-establishing community-based conservation programs was identified as the highest priority for wildlife conservation recovery. The findings demonstrate that armed conflict can rapidly dismantle long-term conservation gains and generate persistent socio-ecological feedbacks that hinder recovery. Effective post-conflict wildlife conservation requires integrated, conflict-sensitive strategies that rebuild institutions, restore habitats, and re-engage local communities to enhance ecological resilience and wildlife conservation in war-affected landscapes.