BY DARGIE KAHSAY
Gedeo Zone of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State is among the densely populated areas in Ethiopia. The landscape of the zone is also highly vulnerable to land degradation due to its mountainous nature. But, thanks to the ancient and indigenous knowledge and tradition of the Gedeo people, the Zone is known for its widely protected and conserved dense forest coverage and well-managed environment.
During a recent panel discussion on desertification, Deputy Commissioner of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EFCCC), Kebede Yimam said that though some 1,300 people occupy a square kilometer land, the traditionally well-protected forest along with the side-grown cash crops like coffee and Enset has enabled the existence of smooth livelihood and food security in the zone, Kebede indicated.
Had it not been for the good condition of the natural forest, the zone with such a level of the dense population would have been in big trouble, he reiterated. But, Gedeo indigenous knowledge and tradition of sustainable land use and agroforestry protection and conservation have helped the local people to lead a stable life, he said.
Forest and environment protection is an age-old tradition of the people of Gedeo. “Among the Gedeos there is a long-held belief that someone who wants to cut trees for any purpose must plant four new ones,” said Mitiku Manda, Head of the University’s newly opened Botanical and Ecotourism Garden.
“Gedeo elders believe that cutting or destroying protected forest area angers God or the earth” he added.
To promote this traditional value and to support the traditional practice with scientific researches, Dilla University, found in the capital of Gedeo Zone Dilla Town has inaugurated the newly established botanical garden last Saturday. The centre aims to develop the areas traditional forest conservation practice through scientific research, to promote the traditional values for experience and to develop ecotourism in the area through researches and research-based supports for investors in the sector.
According to Mitiku, Dilla University Botanical garden is a well-organized garden and the only one among higher education institutions to have such like organized botanical centre. Next to the Gulele Botanical Garden, Dilla University Botanic Garden is the widest botanic centre with a well-organized system and a clear vision of supporting and developing the Gedeo traditional values in forest conservation and natural protection.
During the inauguration ceremony, University President Dr Chirotaw Ayele said that Ethiopia is working to boost its forest coverage through the initiative of green legacy. In addition to investing in new plantations, protecting and conserving the available forests is a must to protect nature. Supporting both adaptation efforts through research is the responsibility of higher education institutions.
He added that Dilla University is investing its maximum capacities for the development of nature protection with research to capitalize the societal values in this regard.
Mitiku said, the agroforestry adaptation of the area has become a tradition and the Gedeo people are known for this value of protecting their environment and their forests like their domestic animals. This old practice helps the area adapt to climate change and contributes to the economic income and livelihood of the people.
Currently, the Gedeo Cultural Landscape is under the tentative list of United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization in order to qualify as a world heritage list. The centuries-old protected area and the tradition, which still is practised by the people of Gedeo, is playing a crucial role in fighting against climate change. This visible traditional value is expected to be registered under the UNESCO world heritage lists.
According to Mitiku the garden which covered 100 hectares of land has four basic goals. According to him, the garden aims to develop the Gedeo people’s environmental management and forest conservation traditional value through research and science and to support the people to benefit more from their traditional values economically.
For this purpose, the garden aims to collect all plant species of the area for research. In addition, he said, protecting endangered plant species to be collected from different parts of the country, holding researches on the protected endangered species for future development, promoting ecotourism service of the area and supporting the teaching-learning process of the university through practical researches in the sector. So far, hundreds of species are collected of which 30 are endemic to Ethiopia, Mitiku noted.
The research on plant species will focus on capitalizing on the traditional conservation mechanism of the Gedeo people. By documenting and promoting these values, it also aims to support the registration process of Gedeo Cultural Landscape as World Heritage by UNESCO.
Nature is also remunerating the society for its efforts as almost all economic resources of the community are from the protected nature. The Enset and Coffee, among others, are the major income-generating plants among the Gedeo. While harvesting these agricultural produces the people always give due care for the environment, he added.
As a university that is developing its community-based services and researches, Mitiku said, Dilla University aims to boost the economic gain of the people by promoting the values and to support the area’s traditional land management and forest conservation practices through research. “The university in general and the garden particularly has a responsibility to promote and develop this value of the people of Gedeo through research” he added.
Investing in the development of the people’s tradition of harmonious life with nature through research, Mitiku stated, the centre plans to develop the ecotourism service of the area by initiating new business ideas through training. Hence, he said, by investing in environmental and forest protection, the centre aims to exploit the available economic potentials for the people mainly from tourism.
Mitiku further stated that the people of the area are using traditional herbal medicine. The botanical garden has plans to gather these traditionally known plant species and conserve them properly as it aims to develop herbal medicine through scientific research. In this regard, Mitiku added, the centre will provide training for the herbal medicine makers at the garden to develop their knowledge.
Similarly, the garden will invest research on Enset and Coffee since these plants are among the major income-generating sources for the people of the area. In addition to the garden, he said, the university has a Coffee research and development centre which is researching coffee development, he added.
“So far around 28 species of Enset are collected in the garden site while researchers have started submitting proposals for research,” Mitiku noted. The garden is also working with the Coffee Research centre of the University for the Development of Coffee production and productivity. All coffee species in the community are now being conserved for research, he added.
The Ethiopian Herald August 21/2021
