Local Worldview Linked Resource Perception and Conservation Behavior: An Evidence from Basketo and Kafa (Southwestern Ethiopia)

Abstract

Traditional societies are characterized by holistic worldviews that shape their perception of the environment and regulate their interactions with the environment. A peculiar perception of the land, coupled with detailed ecological knowledge, is believed to have allowed harmonious existence of local communities with the environment. This study was conducted in Basketo Special Woreda and Kafa Zone of southwestern Ethiopia with the intention of gaining insight into resource perceptions and use norms the local peoples of the study areas, the Basket and the Kafecho. A total of 140 households (i.e., 60 from Basketo and 80 from Kafa), focus group discussion members and key informants were involved in the study. Selection of the households was done by employing a combination of purposive and stratified sampling methods. Semi-structured interviews that focused on different local issues were conducted first and focus group discussions were held next while gathering data. The study revealed that the two communities share some features in terms of sociocultural aspects, landscape categorization and resource us norm. Local religious practices that are conducted to manifest reciprocity, resource perceptions rooted in local belief systems, and resource use norms which are regulated by local rules are still evident in the two localities. The continued existence of the environmental resources to which the livelihoods of the local people are highly linked is believed to be associated with these local phenomena. Nevertheless, the traditional features and practices of local communities are confronted with a serious threat in the face of the expanding modernization and globalization.