Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Promoting Community Conservation Education in a Nigerian Protected Area

Abstract

The study has explored the adoption of indigenous knowledge systems of local populations living at the margins ofprotected areas to promote community conservation education. It assessed the ethno-ecology and ethno-biologyknowledge of valuable wild and cultivated plant species by local people inhabiting the ‘support zone’ of the CrossRiver National Park, South-Eastern Nigeria. It explored paradigms for the successful convergence of ‘insiders’local knowledge with the ‘outsiders’ professional/ scientific knowledge as tools for promoting community basedconservation education and achieving nature conservation objectives. Participatory research methodologies areadopted in eliciting information from the study communities. The results indicate a broad indigenous knowledgebase of the ecology and biology of the valuable species in the region. The implications of the convergence of thisknowledge with scientific information, to further community based nature conservation education are harmonizedfor effective conservation of natural resources.