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