ABSTRACT
Traditional African environmental ethics has been demonstrated to establish the interconnectedness and interdependence of all beings and the more-than-human world. To be an object of moral concern, rationality, intelligence and language are not required, although different beings have different mental capacities and roles. The unity of the whole establishes an ethical obligation for human beings toward all parts of nature. Africa has different cultures that have helped to shape positive moral attitudes toward the natural environment and its human and nonhuman components; the ethos on forests is one of them. Although African environmental ethics is increasingly being marginalized for various reasons, it has been demonstrated to have the potential to contribute to human well-being and environmental sustainability. Although it is not a panacea for all global environmental challenges as it has its own limitations and needs improvement, African and other concerned scholars should critically study African traditional thoughts, especially on forests, and identify and coopt its positive elements that can enable humanity to save Mother Earth and its inhabitants, especially from the ravaging impacts of climate change.
