Traditional knowledge and attitude of the local communities towards wildlife conservation in and around fragmented Forest of Germeba Mountain in southern Ethiopia

The role of traditional knowledge and attitude of the local community about wildlife conservation is fundamental for sustainable wildlife conservation. Therefore, the study investigated the traditional wildlife conservation knowledge and factors that determine attitudes towards wildlife conservation in and around fragmented Forest of Germeba Mountain in southern Ethiopia. A total of 108 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed using structured questionnaire. Data were also collected using key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics and binary logit model were employed to analyze the data. The results of the study revealed that the majority (77.8%) of the local community could identify wildlife species in the study area. 87 % of the respondents perceived a change in wild animals’ abundance in their area. Generally, the vast majority of respondents (96.5%) had positive attitude towards wildlife conservation. Binary Logistic regression analysis indicated that educational status (p=0.05), age (p=0.01) and traditional knowledge (p=0.010) were significant variables in explaining attitude of local community towards wildlife conservation. The study revealed that the local community demonstrated a considerable level of traditional knowledge and positive attitude about wildlife conservation. Hence, the indigenous knowledge about wildlife conservation can be used as an input for knowledge-based conservation in the area.