Participatory forest management (PFM) is a major approach towards the reconciliation of biodiversity conservation and human livelihood needs. PFM was implemented around the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest (ASF), the largest remaining forest block of the East African coastal forest of southern Kenya, during the early 1990s. While forest cover has remained stable, there is evidence for persistent selective logging with subsequent reduction of habitat quality and a steady decline in biodiversity. We conducted structured surveys and semi-structured expert interviews to investigate the efficiency and acceptance of PFM by the local community. Hereby we considered two ethnic groups: The Waatha, the first known occupiers of the ASF, and the Giriama, recent settlers. We assessed the level of local awareness based on indigenous and modern ecological knowledge, peoples´ attitudes towards forest conservation, and their willingness to apply good environmental practices. Our quantitative analysis revealed low awareness of the uniqueness of biodiversity in ASF. Male respondents and those with higher formal education or indigenous knowledge, and long-term residents show significantly higher awareness. Majority (80%) of participants perceive the forest as being of high socioeconomic relevance and is a very important ecosystem service provider. However, less than half of the respondents express personal responsibility towards the conservation of this forest. The Waatha people show significantly higher scores on traditional ecological knowledge, willingness and personal responsibility towards forest conservation than the recent settlers, the Giriama. This study underlines that successful PFM depends on inter-ethnic relations and the history of the local people living in the ecosystem.

参与式森林管理（PFM）是调和生物多样性保护与人类生计需要的一种主要方法。在1990年代初期，围绕阿拉木图-索科森林（ASF）（肯尼亚南部东非沿海森林中剩余的最大森林块）实施了PFM。尽管森林覆盖率保持稳定，但有证据表明持续进行选择性伐木，继而降低了栖息地质量，并持续减少了生物多样性。我们进行了结构化调查和半结构化专家访谈，以调查当地社区对PFM的效率和接受程度。在此，我们考虑了两个种族群体：瓦萨（Waatha），第一批已知的ASF占领者，以及Giriama，最近的定居者。我们根据本地和现代生态知识评估了当地的意识水平，各国人民对森林保护的态度，以及他们愿意采取良好的环境做法。我们的定量分析表明，人们对ASF中生物多样性的独特性认识不足。男性受访者和那些受过正规教育或具有本地知识的人以及长期居民显示出明显更高的认识。绝大多数（80％）的参与者认为森林具有很高的社会经济意义，并且是非常重要的生态系统服务提供者。但是，不到一半的受访者表示对森林保护负有个人责任。Waatha人在传统生态知识，保护森林的意愿和个人责任方面的得分远高于最近的定居者Giriama。