IK Monitor Research (8-2)

Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, July 2000

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Research, projects

Sacred groves as land use systems
A recent study conducted by the Centre for Cosmovisions and Indigenous Knowledge in Ghana (CECIK) has focussed on the critical role that two sacred groves play in the lives of people living in a rural district of northeastern Ghana. CECIK's director, Dr David Millar, has led the research effort, which is based on the concept of 'cosmovision'.

The concept of 'cosmovision' has been known to development researchers ever since it formed the basis of a study by B. Haverkort and others in Peru in the early 1990s. The Peruvian study, conducted for PRATEC, acknowledged the holistic world view held by the local people in question, who see spiritual and physical phenomena as all being part of nature and the cosmos. They perceive the whole of nature as a living being, like an animal, the parts of which are all interdependent. Human society is one of these parts. Man thus works and communicates with nature rather than trying to conquer it. This is very different from the Western view that places man in opposition to nature. The Peruvian study showed that researchers who analyze their findings in terms of local people's own 'cosmovision'-in terms of the relationships believed to exist between spiritual beings, natural forces, soil, plants, animals, humans, etc.--will gain useful insight into agricultural practices and other interventions. A people's cosmovision shapes not only their behaviour and social organization but also their technology. There is of course no one, single 'cosmovision'. Cosmovisions, based as they are on perceptions and beliefs, differ from one culture to the next.

In the Bolga District in Ghana, local people have preserved two patches of forest as dwelling places for the spirits and gods. These sacred groves are visible as closed canopies of baobab and ebony trees perched on slightly raised pieces of land at the edge of the human settlements. The groves are surrounded by bare land and have existed as long as people have lived in the formerly forested area. As the site of festivals, sacrifices, worship and communion with the gods, the groves have a social function. But they also have an economic function. Wood is extracted from the groves and some hunting and cultivation is allowed. This is restricted, however, and carefully controlled through a complex of unwritten rules. All human interventions are monitored by the community. The traditional practices, based as they are on local beliefs, have thus proven effective in making possible the sustainable exploitation of these remaining patches of forest.

The figure above shows where the sacred groves fit into the cosmos as perceived by the communities in the Bolga District.

Sacred groves like these have persisted in many areas of northern Ghana in spite of efforts to eradicate them. Modernization and the spread of imported religions have threatened the sacred groves, but the important role they play in people's lives has counteracted these forces. Development interventionists are now beginning to appreciate the groves' value as vital resources on which the further development of rural communities could be based. A wealth of ecological knowledge is associated with their traditional management; they have proved sustainable; and they offer a ready-made context for coordinated, community-based development activities. The local pattern of managing the groves has already served as a model for the protection and management of other communal property. And it could be useful in any attempts to reverse land degradation and desertification. The system of sacred groves can even be seen as the basis of an entire land use system. Because traditional-style sacred groves tend to foster sedentary communities that are less likely to exhaust the land and then move on, they encourage sustainable development in general.

The study of the two groves in Ghana is concluded with several recommendations. For example, administrative authority should be decentralized in order to encourage effective action and the strong community identity that forms around sacred groves. In the area in question, authority would be most effective if exercised at the level of the chiefdom.

For more detailed information, contact: Dr David Millar, CECIK, P.O. Box 607, Bolgatanga - UE/R, Ghana.
Tel. / fax: +233-72- 235 00.
E-mail: cecik@africaonline.com.gh

Traditional knowledge projects in the Pacific Island Region
Two traditional knowledge projects are being implemented in the Pacific Region by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The Capacity Building for Environmental Management in the Pacific (CBEMP) project is a SPREP implemented, UNDP funded and Peace Corps assisted project to help Pacific island countries improve the management of their natural resources. Participating countries include: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The main objective of the project is to build capacity to integrate traditional and non-traditional methods to develop more effective natural resource management systems. The implementation of project activities will occur under the country selected thematic areas of 'Sustainable tourism', 'Marine resources', and 'Forests and trees'.

Project activities include:

assistance and training in the collection and review of information on traditional and non-traditional resource management practices;
review of database needs and training in database establishment for the collation of information on traditional and non-traditional knowledge and practices;
development of educational resource materials, assistance in the formulation of environmental legislation and awareness raising of decision makers at the government and non-government level; and
the identification of potential demonstration projects to highlight beneficial traditional practices and encourage job creation.

The implementation phase of the project commenced in 1998 and is due to finish in 2001. As part of the project a regional training workshop was held in Samoa on aspects of information gathering, the protection of traditional knowledge and other issues relating to the implementation of the CBEMP project. In Tuvalu a training programme was conducted to improve the collection of traditional marine related knowledge. In Samoa efforts were taken to review current literature on traditional knowledge and to conduct community surveys on marine-related traditional knowledge. In Kiribati local communities were trained in the design of survey procedures and the collection of traditional knowledge.

The second traditional knowledge project about to commence is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and will also be implemented by SPREP in Vanuatu, the Cook Islands and the Marshall Islands. The ADB project will focus on environmental education, training and Information Technology on a traditional knowledge theme. This project is expected to start in July 2000 and aims to assist the participating Pacific Island countries to make better use of their existing natural resources by promoting the use of traditional environmental management practices, knowledge and values.

Project activities include:

incorporating traditional knowledge into existing formal and non-formal education programmes;
promoting the role of traditional leaders in environmental management processes;
strengthening the regional information network for the transfer of traditional knowledge using the Internet and CD-ROM technology.

For more information please contact: Mr Craig Wilson, Project Manager, Capacity Building for Environmental Management in the Pacific (CBEMP), South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), P.O. Box 240, Apia, Samoa.
Tel.: +685-21 929.
Fax: +685-20 231.
E-mail: craig@sprep.org.ws