Determinants of participatory forest management practices in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

Forest resources are fundamental in supporting the livelihoods of the people and the sustainability of biodiversity. However, these resources are overexploited in order to meet the increasing demand for food, shelter, and energy. Participatory forest management is a tool used to support the sustainable utilization of forest resources. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the factors that determined the participatory forest management practices in the study area. The Alemsaga forest was chosen as a case study since it is in danger in its current state due to illegal cuttings and unrestricted grazing. The study employed a mixed research design where quantitative and qualitative approaches of data collection and analysis were implemented. Household heads from three rural kebeles were used as a target population, and the questionnaire survey was administered to randomly selected sample households. A binary logistic regression was employed to identify the major determinants of PFMP in the study area. The result shows that family size, education status, perception, forest income, and training have significant positive relations with household participation in forest management, whereas, demand for firewood and grazing, age, and change in office administration have significant negative relations with participation on forest management. Therefore, a key aspect in the sustainable use of natural resources is realizing the key determinant factors that influence forest management programs. This work can be perceived as a contribution to enlightening policymakers and practitioners about PFM practices and core factors that hampered the forest management effort.