Benefits, challenges and sense of ownership of communities in Boswellia papyrifera dominated woodland forests of Western Tigray, Ethiopia

Dry forests and woodlands taxa like Acacia, Sterculia, Commiphora, and Boswellia are the main source of valuable gum and resins to the international market. Boswellia papyrifera populated dry deciduous woodland forests in Tig-ray in Ethiopia is mainly located in Western Tigray. However, recently the population of the tree is getting less and the need to sustain it calls for urgent measures. Incorporating local communities’ perceptions in designing policies on the management and conservation of the tree is crucial. Hence, in this study we aimed to understand the percep-tion of local communities towards the benefits, challenges and sense of ownership in the B. papyrifera dominated woodland forests. We used observations, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household surveys to collect data. Descriptive statistics and ranking index approach were used for data analysis. People ranked fuel-wood as the first important benefit of the B. papyrifera dominated forests in Western Tigray while recreational value was ranked as the last benefit from the 12 lists of forest benefits presented to the respondents of the study. Regarding the identified challenges of the B. papyrifera dominated forests, lack of sense of ownership was ranked as the number one challenge while unemployment was ranked as the last challenge from the listed 13 challenges for B. papyrifera dominated forests sustainability. It is crucial to communicate with local communities in charge of B. pa-pyrifera product extraction policy on issues such as the user right policy change that may affect the communities’ lives and their environment. Key words: Boswellia papyrifera frankincense, fuelwood, ranking index, lack of sense of ownership, user right, Western Tigray