Indigenous knowledge of Me’en Community toward natural resource conservation: a socio-philosophical analysis

Abstract

Indigenous peoples have strong social and cultural values, ordered social control and cohesive social systems rooted in their Indigenous knowledge of the universe in general and their locals in particular. The research assesses the Indigenous knowledge of the community in natural resource conservation practice and their perception toward natural resource. A socio-philosophical insight was employed to the analysis. The result showed that Me’en (Indigenous people of southwest Ethiopia) Community has a deep knowledge and practice of natural resource conservation in general and for soil and wildlife in particular. The study reveals the community practice contours, tracing, mulching, ridges, shifting cultivation, crop rotation, and area closure. The communities also have the knowledge to identify fertile lands by physical observation such as by its color and texture and touching. They practice a sustainable concept of utilization, but in terms of philosophical orientation, they fall in both biocentrism and anthropocentric orientation.