Participatory forest management is proving as viable approach in the protection and maintaining of the environment in a country which has experienced continuous deforestation, EFDRE President Girma W. Giorgis said on Monday.
Speaking at the opening of the three-day international conference on Participatory Forest management (PFM) yesterday, President Girma said participatory forest management-which he said involves controlled and organized community management systems has offered good opportunity in maintaining the environment, as seen in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa.
"In Ethiopia as in the rest of Africa, I believe the consensus concerning PFM is that it offers the opportunity to get the environment, specifically forests, under controlled and organized community managements systems," President Girma told the regional conference in his remarks about the positive aspects of PFM.
"I know in our Ethiopian experience, the learning has been intensive. Conventional forestry attitudes and systems needed to be changed. I know that after this 10-year period of learning, that lesson has been encouraging," he added.
The Presidents himslef 'a champion for environment" as described recently by the US-based Institute on Religion and Public Policy.
"I became aware of the importance of community involvement in natural resource management a number of years ago," he said.
"The idea and understanding that rural communities have the willingness and the skills to manage their local environment have become widely recognized." President pointed out that, as opposed to critics who argued against it, the idea of participatory forest management has grown stronger and stronger across Africa over the last 20 years He said the critics, particularly those who, under the slogan advocated against it "faded away" as years passed and experience was accumulated in varieties of ecological and social contexts.
According to Girma developing natural resource management systems that support sustainable rural livelihood is a key strength of participatory forest management in Africa where he said rural communities are intrinsically linked to their natural resource base.
Also speaking at the international event, State Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ahmed Nassir said the continued deforestation and forest degradation are reflective of the fact that conventional approaches in practice were not effective to the desired level He said strengthening community participation was crucial instead.
"The extensive control of the state over forests, and the local communities' claim of traditional rights has always been a source of conflict," the State Minister pointed out. "The unilateral management by a single body the government has not assured a sustainable forest management in the country." Nasser added that, even though ensuring the coexistence of people and forest remains a challenge, as it has never been easy, success has emerged from PFM initiatives in various forests.The Daily Monitor via AllAfrica.com
