Sheka people dependency on the Sheka forest has made the people of
Sheka create various techniques and strategies that are used to manage
the Sheka forest. In the indigenous culture of Sheka people, there is a
great deal of forest allocation, benefit sharing, and management
practice. Locally, these forests are known as KOBO. This is clearly
reflected in the KOBO forest allocation, benefit sharing, and management
culture. A framework based on ethnographic information is proposed in
this paper; accordingly, qualitative indicators are suggested for
different variables relating to indigenous forest allocation, benefit
sharing, and management practice among the Sheka people. In Sheka
culture, the clan leader (Gebi tato) allocates forests to each member of
the clan in the village. The management of the KOBO forest is the
responsibility of the individual KOBO holders. All members of the clan
who have the KOBO forest are entitled to get a share of the benefits
that are derived from the use of the KOBO forests. The KOBO forest is
the principal source of honey for the Sheka people. The production of
quality honey from the KOBO forest creates a huge market demand within
and outside the Sheka zone. In addition to the production of honey, the
KOBO forest is used for the extraction of trees for house building and
another household consumption. The paper concludes that the current KOBO
forest allocation, benefit sharing, and management practices could
substantially enhance sustainable forest management and social and
economic development of the Sheka people.
Key words: KOBO forest, forest allocation, forest benefit sharing
and forest management practice
Introduction
Human and nature interactions form a central part of many society’s
existence (John Barry 2007; Soga and Gaston, 2020). There is a growing
interest in the intrinsic and consumptive values human attached to plant
life (Lammerts et al., 2003; Arias-Arévalo et al. 2017; Masiero, 2019),
has led to the growing field of traditional forest-related knowledge and
management practices (Berkes et al. 2000, ICSU, 2002, Parrotta and
Agnoletti 2007, Parrotta et al. 2008). Human and nature conservation
have historically been connected with forest benefit-sharing and
management practices being the main uses. Forest allocation (Castella et
al. 2006, Nguyen 2008, Clement, 2009), benefit-sharing (Crouch et al.
2008, Cock 2010, Mason, 2013), and management practices have been
practiced across the world for various purposes(Berkes et al. 2000,
ICSU, 2002, Parrotta and Agnoletti 2007, Parrotta et al. 2008). For
example, forest allocation, benefit- sharing and different management
practices were reported. Forest benefits have featured many people
globally. For example, global case studies have obtained forest-related
benefits in tropical areas across the world (Biber-Klemm, 2014). Forest
allocation, benefit-sharing and management practices are important for
many societies (CBD 2016).
These associated benefit and conservation practices have resulted in
reverence of forest across cultures. Among the Sheka people in
southwestern Ethiopia, a relationship with forest is cultivated in the
societies’ traditional values and beliefs. For instance, Sheka people
allocate the the KOBO forestland (economic forest) based on clan. KOBO
forestland (economic forest) owned by individuals who belong to a
particular clan, which is found very far from the village owns the KOBO
economic forest. The KOBO forest managed and used according to the
requirements and wishes of the owner.
Ethiopia is wealthy in its flora and it is evaluated to harbor more than
6000 types of higher plants, of which around 125 are endemic. Ethiopia
has the fifth largest flora in tropical Africa. It has been noticed that
Ethiopia’s common natural forest once secured around 42 million hectares
of the nation’s aggregate land territory (EFAP, 1993). A similar source
showed that by 1989, this figure drastically declined to 2.7 million
hectares. Human effects have corrupted the natural forest of Ethiopia
for quite a long time (Reusing, 2000).
Notwithstanding this recorded source show that 35%, individually 42 Mio
ha of the nation’s region was once secured by natural high forest (EFAP,
1994). This figure likewise counts with an investigation directed by MoA
in (1998). As per this examination, the annual rate of deforestation was
163,000 hectares in the year of 1970 and 1986. On the off chance that
the deforestation proceeded at this disturbing rate, it was additionally
evaluated that by 2010, the territory canvassed by natural forest in
Ethiopia may be diminished to minor stands of intensely aggravated
forestland (EFAP, 1994).
The traditional forest-related knowledge of Sheka people reflects
knowledge about how to manage and use forests. The lives of the Sheka
people almost all depend on the Sheka forest. The reason why the Sheka
people call to Sheka forest as the life of the Sheka people is that the
Sheka forest is the shelter, food, and sources of income for the Sheka
people; therefore, the Sheka people totally rely on this forest for
their livelihood and way of life. Traditional forest allocation,
benefit-sharing, and management practices of the Sheka people, is less
in conflict with forest as compared to agricultural land use forms. As a
result, approximately 2.7 million hectares, which is 24 percent of the
nation’s territory, a huge segment is found in the South Western
Highlands (WBISPP, 1990).
Sheka people dependency on the Sheka forest has made the people of Sheka
create various techniques and strategies that are used to manage the
Sheka forest. This is clearly reflected in the KOBO forest conservation
and management culture. Locally, these forests are known as KOBO. Large
tracts of dense and well-protected patches of traditionally managed
forests can still be seen in many parts of the Sheka zone. This can be
attributed to the traditional forest-related knowledge and management
practices of the Sheka people.
The Sheka forest has undergone socio-economic changes with potentially
negative consequences for forest conservation in Ethiopia (Woldemariam
and Fetene 2007, Hundera 2013). Understanding local and extra-local
economic activities and socio-cultural (counting IK and its connection
to resource management) examples and procedures are vital because forest
cover change is firmly connected to the sustainability of socio-economic
development (Fox et al., 1995; Lambin et al., 1999). In Ethiopia,
forest-based based research has yielded valuable bits of knowledge into
linkages between country employment, financial change, and ecological
administration, with critical ramifications for advancement strategy
(Yeraswork, 2000; Desalegn, 2000; Woldeamlak, 2003; Dereje, 2007;
Gessesse, 2007).
The abnormal state of deforestation has been shown in the Sheka forest
in the year of 1971 and 1997(Reusing, 1998). These have been related to
a blend of socio-cultural and economic changes in the investigation
region (Tadesse and Masresha, 2007). Moreover, the late increments of
large-scale investment agriculture in the examination territory have
made a critical impact on forestland and change indigenous forest
resource management practices.
Considering that no current conservation approach fully addresses these
emerging challenges to the Sheka forest, there is a need to consider the
potential role of traditional forest allocation, benefit-sharing, and
management practices in conserving the Sheka forest. Cultural value
forest allocation, benefit-sharing, and management practices can
strongly influence conservation decisions. Understanding these values
and management practices can present a new socio-economic perspective in
forest conservation. This paper assesses the values of forest
allocation, benefit-sharing, and management practices among the Sheka
people in south western Ethiopia and discusses how this traditional
knowledge can be intergraded in forest conservation.
Methods
Description of the Study area
The Sheka Zone is located at about 670km from Addis Ababa. It is found
in the South Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State. The Sheka
zone shares boundaries with the Oromia Regional State in the North,
Bench Maji Zone in the South, Gambella Regional State in the West, and
Kefa Zone in the east. The total area of Sheka was 2175327 ha.
Geographically, the Sheka Zone lies between 7°24’–7°52’ N latitude
and 35°31’–35°35’E longitude. The Zone has three woredas namely:
Masha, Andracha, and Yeki. In the Zone, there are 56 rural and seven
urban peasant associations (Pas) in three woredas.
Figure 1: Map of the study area