Culture as an Expression of Ecological Diversity: Integrating Awareness of Cultural Heritage in Ethiopian Schools

Abstract

Abstract Ethiopia has the largest mountainous land mass in Africa, with a diverse and complex environment. The peoples of Ethiopia reflect this diversity in their cultures. The integrity and traditional knowledge embedded in these cultures is being eroded through modern education and cultural globalization. Modern education divorces students from the traditional ecological knowledge of their communities, and makes it very difficult for them to reintegrate into their own societies. This process is being accelerated by urbanization. In 1998, the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) began working with school environmental clubs to facilitate interaction between teachers and students, and people in the local student communities who possessed traditional knowledge. We call this project “discovering the value of cultural biodiversity.”