Ecological knowledge and sustainable planning in Nigeria: a reflection on the Yorubas of South-Western Nigeria

Oladayo Ramon Ibrahim

doi:10.26565/2076-1333-2017-23-07

Abstract

In pre-colonial times, African people survived by acquiring and preserving community knowledge of the environment and the relationships between human and non-human elements. The paper is based primarily on secondary data, and examines the relationships between African people, especially Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria and the land and how understanding this relationship can help our quest for a more effective and sustainable regional planning. The study investigates the indigenous Yoruba Ecological Thoughts and Beliefs and how these affected the ways people have interacted with the environment. The result shows that there is a lot that modern planning can gain from the culture-environmental relationships of the indigenous people.Indigenous knowledge is the cornerstone of several convergent trends in social science thinking and development administration practice. With the failure of grand theories of development, social sciences focus on middle-range theories that are site – and time-specific (indigenous knowledge). Both traditional knowledge and modern science and technology should be complementary in the development process and should be properly integrated. People are the subject of development. Development is supposed to suit the people and not the people to suit development. If Africa does not learn this lesson now, all our efforts at the development will be in vain, because Africa is ultimately only as strong as its communities are.

Highlights

The challenges in the socio- pended crucially on acquiring and preserving community ecological systems of the planet earth today, no doubt knowledge of the environment and the relationships bereawakens man consciousness in the environment
Indigenous knowledge is the cornerstone of several convergent trends in social science thinking and development administration practice
With the failure of grand theories of development, social sciences focus on middle-range theories that are site – and time-specific. Both traditional knowledge and modern science and technology should be complementary in the development process and should be properly integrated

Summary

Introduction

The challenges in the socio- pended crucially on acquiring and preserving community ecological systems of the planet earth today, no doubt knowledge of the environment and the relationships bereawakens man consciousness in the environment. Traditional day, indigenous knowledge is seen as pivotal in all dis- Ecological Knowledge (TEK) has been a vital part of the cussions on sustainable resource use and balanced de- food, medicine, culture, and ethnic practices from many velopment The recognition that local and ment planning and implementation. Since indigenous indigenous peoples have their own ecological under- knowledge is essential to planning and development, it is standings, conservation practices, and resource manage- important that it must be gathered and documented in a ment goals has important implications. While previously coherent and systematic fashion (Brokensha et al, 1980; they were perceived as resource users, indigenous Warren et al, 1993), as part of the policy for local depeoples are recognized as essential partners in envi- velopment

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion