Indigenous knowledge and forest management practices among Shekachoo people in the Sheka Biosphere Reserve A case of Shato core area, South-west Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstractatural places that are maintained and managed with the help of indigenous people are both culturally and environmentally vital, and can be studied in a wide range of contexts. This research explores indigenous forest conservation and management practices and related taboos, values, and beliefs of Shekachoo people in the Shato core area, Sheka biosphere reserve, South-west Ethiopia. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were used to gather qualitative information for this study, which was based on an interpretive paradigm. Both primary and secondary sources were examined to ob tain data relevant to this study. The focus group discussions and key informant interviews included a significant number of informants, including clan leaders, community elders, women, youth, and forestry experts. Case studies, observations, and published and unpublished materials were also examined. The results of this research show how intrinsically tied Shekachoo people’s culture is to the forest, as well as to the Kobbo system of knowledge and practice. Forest resources in the Shato core area have been safeguarded, managed, and utilized sustainably for many generations because of this indigenous knowledge system. And, the study did show that today’s youth do not recognize these strategies. Therefore, research will open the door to documenting this important knowledge for all those concerned to gain insight into. Thus, Indigenous knowledge should be respected and recognized, traditional rules and regulations on the sustainable management of forest resources should be adequately communicated, especially to the young, and the government should employ an integrative strategy that considers both technical and indigenous knowledge systems to manage natural resources.

Keywords

• indigenous knowledge
• practice
• Kobbo and Shekachoo people
• clan leader
• taboos