Can African Traditional Practices Save Our Forests? A UI Professor Thinks So
Professor Saka Oladunni Jimoh. Photo Credit: Directorate of Public Communication, UI. A Professor of Forest Management at the University of Ibadan, Professor Saka Oladunni Jimoh, recently provided a compelling answer to a pressing environmental question: can African traditional practices save our forests? In the 591st Inaugural Lecture of the university, he argued that integrating indigenous knowledge into modern sustainable forest management is not just a good idea, but a necessity. His lecture highlighted the profound and often overlooked role that cultural practices have played in preserving biodiversity across the continent for centuries. Professor Jimoh pointed out that before formal laws were established, taboos and religious beliefs were highly effective in regulating the use of natural resources. These cultural norms served as a form of "traditional law" that protected specific plants and animals with economic or ecological value. Furthermore, he noted that early c...