Local Community Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Biodiversity Conservation: In the Case of Arjo Diga Forest Ecosystem, Western Ethiopia

Abstract

The study looked at how residents in the Arjo Diga forest, East Wollega Zone of Western Ethiopia felt about biodiversity conservation. The Arjo Diga Forest ecosystem is home to a great variety of animals and plants; this area may be a major contributor to the country's conservation strategy. However, over the past three decades, the realm round the forest ecosystem has seen significant anthropogenic pressures. Additionally, identifying the assorted factors that influence the attitudes and perceptions of local communities about protected areas and therefore the value of biodiversity is very important for local people to support conservation efforts. Purposive sampling was employed to collect data from three kebeles, which were chosen based on their level interaction, community distribution within or near the conservation forest and forest dependency. A household survey, key informant interview, field observation and focus group discussion were used to gather data. The questionnaire study included 222 households in total. SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the data. To explore the important contributing elements for local community impression and attitude, the Chi-square test and descriptive statistics were used. According to the study, the majority of local household heads (48.6%) are unaware of the importance of biodiversity conservation. There was a significant difference in age (x²=36.216, DF = 3 and p<0.05), education level (x²=73.021, DF=3 and p<0.05), and annual income (x² =90.75, DF=3 and p<0.05) in the view and attitude of the local residents toward the conservation values of Arjo Diga forest. As a result, it can be stated that age, education level, and income were the primary determinants of local community perspective and attitude. Furthermore, respondents report that farmland expansion (29.7%), charcoal production, and firewood production (21.6%) are intensifying, and that (55.86%) of respondents were not involved in the decision-making process, which could have a significant impact on biodiversity conservation sustainability. Soil and water conservation, as well as fencing, were among the important mitigation techniques approaches discovered in this study and used by local populations to conserve and develop the natural resource. As a result, urgent cooperation measures between biodiversity conservation management and stakeholders, as well as environmental education, should be addressed as part of a plan to protect Arjo Diga forest, taking into account these elements that influence attitudes and perceptions.