Economic development versus biodiversity conservation : an argumentation analysis of the natural resource management of Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Sammanfattning: Lake Naivasha, Kenya faces degradation despite the implementation of a co-management plan. There are competing demands on the lake’s natural resources from different key actors. An argumentation analysis was conducted upon texts on the key actors’ official websites regarding the natural resource management of Lake Naivasha. The main identified ‘argumentation thesis’ was that the lake needs to be exploited for economic development, while the major contra argument was that the lake’s biodiversity needs to be preserved. Pro arguments and contra arguments were often emphasized with pictures on the websites. More research is needed to achieve understanding of how integrated management which involves competing actors could be successful.