Local Knowledge and Ecosystem Services in Resource Management: Evidence from the Zukpiri CREMA, Ghana

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims to contribute to knowledge on the role of indigenous knowledge systems and practices in promoting sustainable natural resource management (SNRM) across local communities in sub-Saharan Africa for the attainment of sustainable development goal (SDG) 15 by 2030. Design Methodology: A case study research approach was employed by drawing on key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs = 14) across seven community resource management area (CREMA) communities. Findings: The local people have in-depth knowledge of the CREMA as a store of provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services. The cultural ecosystem services mirror the beliefs and customs of the local people. Traditional beliefs, customs, taboos, and totems, which have direct association with the cultural ecosystem services, are used to curtail overexploitation of the CREMA resources. Practical Implications: Local knowledge of the diversity of ecosystem services provided by the CREMA is a catalyst for enhanced participation by the local people in conservation projects in local communities and underscores the need for the Forestry Commission (FC) of Ghana to scale up the CREMA model across forest-dependent regions. The study sounds a clarion call for policymakers in developing regions to: (1) employ useful hybridized indigenous ecological models in environmental resource management and (2) integrate indigenous knowledge of forest-dependent people on natural resource management into development plans at local and regional levels. Overall, the study adds critical insights into the attainment of SDGs 15 and 13.