Abstract:
This
paper
attempts to explore if
indigenous knowledge
(IK)
has
the potential to manage natural resources
,
and offer a new pathway
towards
sustainable
natural
resource management practices
in the Mau
F
orest
(MF)
.
By looking into the cultural and historical r
esource management
practice
of the Ogiek tribe
in
the
MF,
natural
resource managers can inco
rporate
traditional ecological knowledge
and
bring a sense of
responsi
bility, accountability, respectability and communality
into resource management practices
on
-
and
-
off
protected natural resource
landscapes
.
IK
-
based natural resource management
practices
were
sourced
from
interviews conducted with
the Ogiek
elders
/
opinion
leaders, and natural resource managers
at the
MF
,
and q
ualitative
ly
t
arget
ed
three
sustainability
themes
; cultural preservation, socio
-
economic
v
iability
and
ecological integrity
,
besides
government intervention
.
Cultural preservation
(41%)
,
ecological
integrity
(32%)
,
social
-
economic
v
iability
(18%)
,
and
government intervention
(09%)
were ranked as most important
thru
least important
respectively.
The study
concluded that
IK
can
serve as a valuable
tool
for
natural
resources management practice
, and if mainstreamed, it holds
potential
to move
politically connected
tribes
who are the main beneficiaries of the unsustainable harvesting of natural resources
towards a positive ‘can
-
do’ future for sustainability.
The study
recommended that a national policy or framework on IK systems be
developed in order to
preserve, protect, and
promote IK values
for a more balanced and effective natural
resource management p
ractice for a sustainable future.
