The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which is believed to be the largest of the five non-Chalcedonian Eastern Churches and is believed as playing an important role in Ethiopian life is a unique church deeply based upon Ethiopian history, social life and ethics. In addition to its religious services, i has a long tradition of conserving biodiversity. Hence, if a traveler sees a patch of indigenous big trees in the northern highlands of Ethiopia, most probably there is an Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the center.
Having the main objective of investigating the role of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church in biodiversity conservation, the paper deals with the religious values (principles and actions) of the EOTC that are in favor of biodiversity conservation. In line with, it tries to explore the church values in relation to biodiversity conservation in terms of the sacred and profane (space wise dichotomy). Moreover,identify the cultural bases on what plants and animals are conserved in the Church compounds.
For this purpose, four churches were purposely selected from Ìnderta wereda. To encounter informants in their everyday life, the researcher lived for five months in the churches especially, in churches of Mika‘el Tsellamo and Mika‘el Romanat and use ‘Participant observation’. Moreover, the researcher used semi-structured and informal interviews. To this end, semi-structured interview was conducted with 40 purposely selected respondents. Accordingly, 30 respondents from Mika‘el Romanat and Mika‘el Tsellamo (15 from each) and 10 respondents from Khokholo Yowhannis and Mika‘el Dagya churches (5 from each) were interviewed. Moreover, in-depth interview was hold with key informants from the churches. Besides, different secondary sources were employed.
The Church is playing a prominent role in conserving the biological diversity. Results indicated that it is due to the sacredness of the Church area that the plants and animals are well-conserved in the churches. It was found that the community respect and conserve natural Church plants and animals with no discrimination regardless of their benefits to the Church and the communities. In general, from the results, it was concluded that the sacredness of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church area have a prominent role for sustainable biodiversity conservation. Thus, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo believers are Anthropocentrists outside the church compounds and Deep ecologists within the church compound.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE, INTRODUCTION
1.1. Back ground of the study
1.2. Problem statement and justification
1.3. Research questions
1.4. Objectives of the research
1.4.1. General objective
1.4.2. Specific objectives
1.5. Significance of the study
CHAPTER TWO, LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Conceptual and Theoretical framework
2.1.1. Conceptual framework
2.1.1.1. Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
2.1.1.2. The Sacred and the Profane
2.1.1.3. Biodiversity and Culture
2.1.2. Theoretical Framework
2.1.2.1. Economic and Institutional theorists view
2.1.2.2. Cultural theorists view
2.1.2.3. Christian Anthropocentrism (human-centered ethics)
2.1.2.4. Christian Deep ecology (Creation-centered ethics)
2.2. Review of Related Literature
2.2.1. Biodiversity and Culture
2.2.2. Biodiversity and sacred areas in the World and Ethiopia
CHAPTER THREE, RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1. Description of the Study area
3.2. The study site: Churches selected for the study
3.2.1. Mika‘el Tsellamo Church
3.2.2. Mika‘el Romanat Church
3.2.3. Khokholo Yowhannis
3.2.4. Mika‘el Dagia Church
3.3. Research Methodology and Methods of Data collection
CHAPTER FOUR, FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
4.1. Biodiversity: Plants and Animals in Orthodox Tewahedo Churches
4.1.1. The Churches and their Plant composition
4.1.2. The Churches and their animal composition
4.2. Community’s view towards Plants and Animals in the Church
4.2.1. Community’s view on the Church Plants
4.2.2. Community’s view on Animals in the Church
4.3. Significance of Church Plants
4.4. The Sacred and Profane dichotomy in the Churches
CHAPTER FIVE, CONCLUDING REMARKS
Objectives and Research Themes
The main objective of this study is to investigate the role of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) in biodiversity conservation, specifically within the Inderta district, by analyzing religious values, traditional knowledge, and the dichotomy between sacred and profane spaces.
- The impact of EOTC religious ethics on the conservation of forest patches and wildlife.
- The role of "sacredness" in protecting flora and fauna compared to unprotected areas.
- The dichotomy between sacred space inside church compounds and the profane outside world.
- The practical application of traditional Ethiopian church norms in modern biodiversity management.
Extract from the Book
1.1.BACK GROUND OF THE STUDY
The very fast rate of deforestation and killing and hunting of animals in Africa has brought significant decline in biodiversity to the extent that some species are on the verge of local extinction. For Mackinnon, though the available information is limited, it is estimated that two-third of the land that could support habitats for wild plants and animals is being used for other purposes (cited in Biodiversity Support Program, 1993).
According to the Environmental Protection Authority (2003), Ethiopia is one of the richest countries in flora and fauna in Africa. As the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation sited from Tewolde Brehan (1991), there are 6500- 7000 species of higher plants of which 12 percent are believed to be endemic. Besides, the country (Ethiopia) is endowed with 284 wild mammals, 861 birds, 201 reptile, 63 amphibian, 188 fish and 1225 arthropod species of which 10, 2,5, 54, 0.4 and 21 percent respectively are believed to be endemic (Institute of Biodiversity Conservation, 2009). However, due to deforestation which is occurring at an alarming rate, the country is losing much of its unique biodiversity. The findings of Teketay cited in Zewge, (2001), shows that the major reasons for deforestation are the intensive use of land for agriculture and livestock production, and tree cutting for different purposes.
With a number of factors for deforestation and decline in or loss of biodiversity, the problem is evident in the northern highlands of Ethiopia and more severe in Tigray regional state, where forests are downscaled to few protected areas especially the Orthodox Tewahedo Church compounds. To this end, very little of the natural forest and wild animals remains today. These all are the results of both conscious (a long-term human occupation of the area, accompanied by sedentary agriculture and extensive cattle husbandry) and unconscious (consecutive civil and national wars) exploitation of the biodiversity. For this reason, the government made different efforts in various sectors of biodiversity conservation.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER ONE, INTRODUCTION: This chapter provides the background on deforestation in Ethiopia and outlines the research objectives, core questions, and the significance of studying the EOTC's role in conservation.
CHAPTER TWO, LITERATURE REVIEW: This chapter synthesizes conceptual frameworks regarding biodiversity, culture, and religious ethics, specifically contrasting Anthropocentrism and Deep Ecology.
CHAPTER THREE, RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: This section describes the geographical study area in Inderta woreda and details the ethnographic qualitative methods, including participant observation and interviews, used to collect data.
CHAPTER FOUR, FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS: This chapter presents the data gathered from the selected churches, focusing on the composition of flora and fauna and the community's perceptions of their sacredness.
CHAPTER FIVE, CONCLUDING REMARKS: The final chapter summarizes how the sanctity of church grounds serves as a successful mechanism for biodiversity conservation, effectively creating "islands" of natural habitat.
Keywords
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Biodiversity Conservation, Sacred and Profane, Inderta, Anthropocentrism, Deep Ecology, Indigenous Knowledge, Church Forests, Ethnography, Environmental Ethics, Conservation, Sacred Spaces, Biological Diversity, Sustainable Development, Wildlife.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research examines the role of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) in conserving biodiversity and how religious values and the concept of "sacredness" contribute to environmental protection.
What are the core thematic fields of the work?
The work covers environmental anthropology, religious studies, conservation biology, and traditional ecological knowledge within the context of the Ethiopian Highlands.
What is the central research question?
The study asks how EOTC religious values and the dichotomy between sacred and profane spaces influence the conservation practices in and around church compounds.
Which methodology is employed in the study?
A qualitative, ethnographic research design is used, involving participant observation within church compounds, semi-structured interviews with 40 respondents, and in-depth interviews with key informants.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main body covers the theoretical framework of environmental ethics, a description of the study sites in Inderta, and an analysis of how community attitudes protect plants and animals inside church grounds.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include EOTC, Biodiversity, Sacred Areas, Indigenous Knowledge, Environmental Ethics, Conservation, and Church Forests.
How does the sacred/profane dichotomy affect biodiversity?
The research shows that defining a space as "sacred" restricts human encroachment and extraction, which creates a protective buffer that preserves indigenous plants and wild animals compared to the surrounding "profane" or unprotected land.
Why are church forests often referred to as "islands"?
They are described as islands because they represent the last remnants of natural, high-biodiversity forest preserved in a wider landscape that has been largely deforested due to agricultural expansion and human activity.
What role does the church play in "Deep Ecology"?
The study concludes that believers often adopt "Deep Ecologist" behaviors within the sacred church compound, respecting nature for its own sake and as God's creation, which contrasts with their "Anthropocentric" behavior in the secular landscape.
- Citation du texte
- Gebrehiwot Gebreslassie Zesu (Auteur), 2012, The Role of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Biodiversity Conservation: the case of some churches in Ìnderta, Tigray, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/204083
