Masters Degree Dissertations

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Browsing Masters Degree Dissertations by Author "Namboozo, Gertrude"

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    Integrating ecological principles and traditional knowledge systems in local resource management planning in Uganda
    (Kyambogo University, 2019-11) Namboozo, Gertrude
    The extent to which natural resources management planning in Uganda put into consideration ecological principles and traditional knowledge systems is still a matter of debate. This study was undertaken to determine the extent to which current local resources management plans integrate ecological principles and traditional knowledge. Based on a purposive sampling strategy, 44 plans were secured after initial contact with District Natural Resources Officers and Ministry of water and Environment out of which, 27 were used. During this process, un-structured interviews about the planning process were conducted with key informants and these helped to pry into any efforts towards use of traditional knowledge in resource management planning. From the obtained data and review of literature, a plan coding protocol sensitive to traditional resource valuation systems was developed, with 6 traditional knowledge indicators incorporated into the 5 ecological principles/components. The tool was then used to evaluate the land resources’ management plans initiated at the local community level. Meta-analysis was used to examine the extent of integration of ecological principles and traditional knowledge whereas one-way ANOVA was used to determine the variations in integration across ecosystem, space and time. Meta-analysis involved standardizing component-wise scores to generate overall measure of ecosystem plan quality and the derivation of plan quality based upon presence, quality and total quality issue scores. Analysis of the data revealed an overall plan quality score of 23.97 out of 50, with a mean ecological component indicator score of 4 on a scale of 1-10 while traditional knowledge indicators contributed 4.7% to overall plan quality score. The one-way ANOVA revealed a p-value of 0.20 for plan scores by regions, 0.02 for plan scores by ecosystem and 0.057 for plan scores by time. The null hypothesis that land resources management plans in Uganda do not integrate ecological principles and traditional knowledge was rejected. It is construed that to a small extent, land resources management plans drawn at the local community level in Uganda integrate ecological principles and traditional knowledge and this varies across ecosystems and time. It is recommended that ecosystem management planners should consider reviewing plans and strengthening ecological principles and traditional knowledge aspects that promote sustainability and protect integrity of land resources. Further research is needed to assess the actual implementation of the plans in the field.