A historical investigation of forest management in Gojjam, Ethiopia: Utilization - annihilation - recuperation nexus

Abstract

Contemporary environmental historiographies make an effort to describe current challenges in forest settings and act as the main source of information for resolving current issues. As a result, one of the key topics in the environmental theme of the Ethiopian sub-national region, Gojjam is the study of forests and forest management. However, no research has yet been done on the empirical nature of government policies regarding forests as a source of income and, subsequently, their destruction, and practices of reforestation against deforestation. This essay’s objectives are to review the province’s pre-1941 forest management practices, to compare and contrast implementations of policies of management and conservation of forests, to examine the economic and environmental roles of government and community forest enterprises and to compare the success and failure of reforestation in comparison to the deforestation process. The researcher used the qualitative approach because it is a naturalistic strategy that aids in understanding historical processes and human experiences in a particular historical context. For the study’s qualitative analysis, both primary and secondary data sources were utilized. Therefore, it is hoped that this research would significantly advance our understanding of how forest management has changed and remained consistent as well as enhance the environmental history of Gojjam Province.

Keywords:

• Forest
• forest management
• environmental
• reforestation
• forest setting, forest policy, degradation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.