Traditional uses of non-timber forest products in southwest Ethiopia: Opportunities and challenges for sustainable forest management

Abstract

Southwest (SW) Ethiopia, characterized by high biophysical and cultural diversity, contains Afromontane rainforests and most indigenous people are dependent on these natural forests for their livelihoods and socio-cultural demands, with non-timber forest products (NTFPs) forming the most important one. Besides economical roles, a variety of NTFPs including wild coffee in the region have different socio-cultural roles for local inhabitants. However, these roles are under the challenges of forest degradations and socioeconomic changes. This paper was, therefore, initiated to summarize available information on the traditional and cultural uses of NTFPs, and their implication for SFM in SW Ethiopia, and to forward recommendations on the option of using these roles of NTFPs as a tool for SFM, and to sustain these uses for the local people. Based on available information, NTFPs in SW Ethiopia contribute 24 to 30% of the total livelihoods of rural households and fulfill different socio-cultural needs of the local people including primary health care, traditional beliefs and other socio-cultural activities, such as success in marriage arrangement, dispute settling, child birth, etc. But, these uses are challenged by deforestations, cultural and lifestyle changes of local inhabitants associated with changes in religion, and expansion of settlements and large plantation crop investments, and problems related to policy and land-use right law implementation. As the available literature focused mainly on some NTFPs that have international market demands, e.g., coffee, spices and honey, information on all available NTFPs and their traditional uses and contribution to SFM in the region is generally scarce. Thus, in addition to the known NTFPs, exploring and popularizing of locally important NTFPs together with their traditional uses, and opportunities and challenges to use them as a tool for SFM in SW Ethiopia is needed.