The Significance of Indigenous Knowledge and Institutions in Forest Management: A Case of Gera Forest, in Southwestern Ethiopia

Indigenous/customary knowledge that once considered as -traditional-, backward, and inefficient has been started to be seen as rational response to local environmental conditions. Many researchers have argued that sustainable natural resource management cannot be realized without considering the perceptions and culture of local people living in or near the resources. This article, therefore, endeavors to contribute the significance of local perceptions and customary institutions of local people to Forest Management with particular reference to Gera Forest Priority Area of Jima Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The study was based on the field research conducted in Gera district for two months. Different tools of data gathering mechanisms were employed, structured and unstructured interviews, focused group discussions, and observation were utilized in order to obtain relevant and reliable data. The findings of the study revealed that the perception of local people about ecological, economic and socio-cultural values of forest in the study area were remarkable. The study also indicated that customary institutions of the local people have played a significant role in forest management. Moreover, this article implied the importance of incorporating perceptions and existing customary institutions of resource users by policy makers during the formulation forest management policies.