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Human ecology of sacred space: Church forests in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2017

MORGAN L. RUELLE ,
KARIM-ALY KASSAM  and
ZEMEDE ASFAW
MORGAN L. RUELLE*
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
KARIM-ALY KASSAM
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
ZEMEDE ASFAW
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
*
*Correspondence: Dr Morgan L. Ruelle email: [email protected]
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Summary

In the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia, Orthodox Christian churches provide habitats for plants that have become rare in the surrounding agricultural landscapes. The objective of this paper is to investigate why and how the local clergy and laypeople protect and promote woody plants within their sacred spaces. Interviews at 11 churches in the Debark District of North Gonder generated a list of 47 woody species, of which most are rare in the rest of the landscape. Three tree species (indigenous cedar, Juniperus procera; indigenous olive, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata; and exotic Eucalyptus globulus) were identified as most important. While cedar and olive are symbols of tradition and witnesses to church history, eucalyptus is a source of income and alternative material for church construction and repair. A significant proportion of indigenous species within Debark's church forests were said to have been planted, including cedars and olives. Knowledge that these species are cultivated enhances the conservation value of these forests by inspiring local people to continue planting trees and shrubs. In addition to serving as refugia for rare species, Ethiopia's church forests nurture the knowledge necessary to promote plant diversity in the rest of the landscape and serve as archetypes for community-driven conservation.

Keywords

Amhara Regioncommunity-based conservationconservation valuesEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churchethnobotanyindigenous ecological knowledgewoody plant diversity
Type
Non-Thematic Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 45 , Issue 3: Thematic section. Humans and Island Environments , September 2018 , pp. 291 - 300
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2017 

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Footnotes

Supplementary material can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892917000534

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