Traditional access and forest management arrangements for beekeeping: the case of Southwest Ethiopia forest region

Forest beekeeping is an ancient form of forest exploitation in south west Ethiopia. The practice has continued to the present with a gradual evolution in beekeeping technology and resource access and management arrangements. The aim of the present study is to study traditional forest management systems for sustainable forest honey production. The study was carried out in southwest Ethiopia in three districts with variable socioeconomic and land-use conditions; these are reflected in a variety of beekeeping management conditions and interactions between forest and bee resources. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the study. Primary data was collected through household interview, group discussions, expert interviews and observations. The collected data were analyzed through SPSS, spreadsheet and logical explanation. The studies reveal that there four types of tenure for hive hanging trees. With the exception of the so-called kobo-forests, natural forests are mainly free access lands, while home gardens are mainly privately owned land. In all the systems hives and bee colony are private properties. Communities routinely make decisions about access over common property and have clear traditional conflict resolution mechanism on honey colony, honey tree or kobo lands. Traditional beekeepers use the forest for hive construction, hive hanging, pollen source and fumigation. The interaction of trees and honey bees is well maintained by the traditional beekeepers to sustain their hive products. Moreover, the conservation potential of the traditional system is very promising and can help improve the success of modern forest management practices in the region.