A Professor of Forest Management at the University of Ibadan, Professor Saka Oladunni Jimoh, has submitted that traditional and cultural practices have long played key roles in preserving biodiversity and promoting environmental stewardship.
He made the statement while delivering the 591st Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources.
The title of the lecture was: “Engaging African Traditional and Cultural Practices in Sustainable Forest Management.”
Professor Jimoh noted that before the advent of formal laws and norms, taboos and religious beliefs helped regulate resource use, explaining that recognizing and engaging these practices strengthened sustainable forest management in Africa, especially in Nigeria.
Disclosing that some species of plants and animals have economic significance or ecological values, the Inaugural Lecturer said that prior to the incursion of colonial masters, Africans had developed local techniques of conserving these species of plants and animals.
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He said that respect for taboos related to food is a cultural tool that binds families and members of society together in many parts of Africa and Nigeria such that plant and animals are protected with traditional early childhood education.
He recounted some folktales that are used to impart conservation education to children and these involved personification of specific animals and birds, and the mimicking of certain birds to teach some lessons which focused on the protection of some rare or unique species.
The Don stressed that traditional knowledge and cultural practices have significantly contributed to forest ecosystem conservation in Nigeria and other regions, underscoring their importance in environmental preservation.
He highlighted the usefulness of some of these traditional practices in various aspects of forest management, but lamented that a number of factors mitigate actual application in sustainable forest management and these include: incursion of foreign religions, lack of documentation, cultural incursion and lack of awareness.
The Don stressed the need for environmental awareness through a system whereby educators, especially at the formative stage can cultivate in children the love of forests by guiding them to appreciate the beauty and wonders of nature, through myths, saying this can be achieved through creative tools such as poems, story programmes and cartoons, instead of instilling fear in them.
He said there was a need to integrate indigenous knowledge into the curricula of tertiary institutions, systematic documentation, and modernization of traditional and cultural practices for wider application.
Professor Jimoh also advocated scientific approaches to forest management with the provision of critical tools that would enable forest managers to make informed and accurate decisions, thereby having up-to-date information for sustainable practices.
He also suggested that research institutions and funding agencies should prioritize studies that link indigenous conservation practices with modern science.
While urging government agencies and development planners to incorporate cultural heritage preservation into all developmental programmes, the inaugural lecturer advocated multi-stakeholder collaboration and preservation of cultural heritage sites.
The Inaugural Lecture was the fourteenth in the series for the 2024/2025 academic session.
