Contribution of the Majang Forest Ecosystem to Local Communities' Livelihoods: The Case of Majang Forest Biosphere Reserve in Southwest Ethiopia

Ecosystems contribute to sustainable development by integrating economic and social development through sustainable natural resource conservation. This paper examines the contribution of the Majang forest ecosystem to livelihoods, the main products derived from the Majang forest ecosystem, and the factors affecting the dependence on ecosystem goods and services. Our present paper's main objective was to investigate how local livelihoods are impacted by Majang forest ecosystems and how those ecosystems contribute to local livelihoods. Before the main survey, we carried out reconnaissance and a pretest survey. The research was conducted using a mixed-method approach that combined quantitative and qualitative methods. Semi-structured survey questionnaires were used to gather the data. Our research showed that the products of the forest ecosystem are very important for the subsistence of the local populations and how dependent they are on them. Our research showed that the essential components of the Majang forest ecosystem products are beekeeping, fish, bushmeat, mushrooms, firewood, and building materials. According to our research, beekeeping accounts for 42.7% of household income, followed by firewood at 26.5 percent. Our findings indicate that income from the Majang forest ecosystems contributes 64.53% of total household income, compared to 35.47% from other alternative income sources. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that household characteristics had a significant impact on the reliance level of the forest ecosystem. Our research has shown how heavily local communities rely on the goods of Majang forest ecosystems. Our findings show the enormous socioeconomic importance of Majang forest ecosystem services to local communities. Our research's conclusions have significant implications for managers and decision-makers. Our results suggest that the conservation and sustainable use of forest ecosystems requires the intervention of decision-makers.