Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the scope of local ecological knowledge (LEK) in the Lupande
and Mumbwa Game Management Areas (GMAs) of Zambia and to assess the extent to which such
knowledge has been used in the management of wildlife resources in the two areas. Quantitative and
qualitative data were gathered through interviews and surveys in the two case-study areas. It was found that
LEK in the study areas included taboos associated with the sustainable use of natural resources, traditional
teachings that guided the local people as to the correct time to harvest their natural resources and provided
knowledge of the natural distribution of plants in the two areas. Finally, it is recommended that, in order
to complement modern scientific knowledge in the realisation of sustainable wildlife resource management,
greater attention be paid to the LEK possessed by communities.
