Implications of Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics for Mountain Resource Degradation in the Northwestern Ethiopian Highlands

Zeleke, Gete; Hurni, Hans

doi:10.1659/0276-4741(2001)021[0184:iolual]2.0.co;2

Cited by 369 publications

(253 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…where β is vector of parameters of the model, X j is vector of explanatory variables, and ε j is the error term assumed to have random normal distribution with mean zero and common variance δ 2 [2]. I j = Unobservable (latent variable) households' actual decision to use SLM practice and what we observe is a dummy variable (use of land management measures) which is defined as: 1 if I j * > 0 and 0 otherwise…”

Section: Specification Of the Probit Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this type of economies, land degradation poses major development challenge contributing to reduced output, lower economic growth and increased poverty [1,2]. In recent years, this challenge is more aggravated in the face of changing climate and variability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study by [14] in the Northern part of Ethiopia suggests that plots with stone terraces experience higher crop yields. A study by [2] also estimated that users of soil and water conservation measures achieved 17-24% higher value of production compared to non-users. Similarly, a soil and water conservation program evaluation study in Honduras by [15] revealed a positive effect on value of production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Household- and plot-level impacts of sustainable land management practices in the face of climate variability and change: empirical evidence from Dabus Sub-basin, Blue Nile River, Ethiopia

Asrat

Simane

2017

Agric & Food Secur

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Smallholder farmers can adapt to climate variability and change through sustainable land management (SLM) practices that help to offset the negative impacts at farm level. However, use of these practices as adaptation strategy remains low in Ethiopia in general and the study sites in particular. This study aimed at examining the factors that determine farmers' decision to use SLM measures and to quantify the impact of the practices on crop productivity at household and plot level. The study was based on household-and plot-level primary data and employed nearestneighbor matching technique to quantify the impact of using the practices on value of production at household level and plot level. The results revealed that households that implemented SLM practices within the period (2004-2009) experienced a 24.1% higher value of production over non-users in 2016. Similarly, plots that received SLM measures within the period (2004-2009) experienced a 28.6% increase in value of production in 2016. The study also made further analysis at plot level using continuous treatment effects in order to take into account the number of years a plot has been under the practice. The result showed plots with SLM structure that are maintained for at least 6 years have a positive increase in value of production at the end of the 6th year, while those that received the practices recently or those that lacked continuous maintenance did not experience a statistically significant increase in value of production. The result also showed marginal benefit of sustaining the SLM practices increases over time at an increasing rate. The implication is that use of SLM measures and maintenance of the structures are crucial to reap significant benefits from the practices. Although value of production increases given the SLM practices, implementation is labor intensive and there is trade-off with other agricultural activities. Therefore, policy measures are required to incentivize implementation and maintenance of the SLM structures.

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Section: Specification Of the Probit Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Household- and plot-level impacts of sustainable land management practices in the face of climate variability and change: empirical evidence from Dabus Sub-basin, Blue Nile River, Ethiopia

Asrat

Simane

2017

Agric & Food Secur

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“…Deforestation rates in East Africa, including Ethiopia, were the second highest in Africa: 0.94% for 1990-2000 and 0.97% for 2000-2005 [11]. A study conducted in North Western Ethiopia indicated 99% clearing of the forest cover of the 1950s until the year 1995 [12]. The population of Ethiopia, which is currently 79 million people, increases by almost two million annually under highly unfavorable economic and environmental conditions [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Land Use/Cover Dynamics in the Koga Catchment, Ethiopia, from Multi-Scale Data, and Implications for Environmental Change

Yeshaneh

Wagner

Exner-Kittridge

et al. 2013

IJGI

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This study analyzed more than 50 years of land cover and land use changes in the 260 km 2 Koga catchment in North Western Ethiopia. The data used includes 1:50,000 scale aerial photographs, Landsat MSS, TM and ETM images, and ASTER images together with ground truth data collected through field surveys and community elders' interviews. Aerial photographs have high spatial resolution but provide lower spectral resolution than satellite data. While most land use/cover change studies compare changes from different spatial scales, this study applied land use/cover classification techniques to bring the data to a relatively similar scale. The data revealed that woody vegetation decreased from 5,576 ha to 3,012 ha from the 1950s to 2010. Most of the deforestation took place between the 1970s and 1980s, but there is an increasing trend since then. No significant changes were observed in the area used for agriculture that comprises the pastures and crop fields since the 1950s, while there is an enormous increase in the area used for settlement, due to a tremendous increase in population from one point in time to another. The bare lands that used to exist in previous years were found to be totally covered with other land cover/use classes and no bare lands were observed in the study area in the year 2010. Population pressure and land use policies were found to be reasons for the changes in land use/cover while soil degradation,

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“…Second, the topography of the catchment as the source locations of the Upper Blue Nile River is dominated by rugged and mountainous landscapes. As a result of this, the catchment has been described previously as prone to soil erosion and gully formation [59,60], which has led to a (moderate) decline in soil fertility and loss of fertile plots for local farmers [61,62]. The continuing decline of grasslands and natural vegetation, combined with expanding cultivation, would imply that the local erosion and gully formation phenomenon is bound to deteriorate unless more effective policies and management interventions are developed and implemented.…”

Section: Model Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land-Use Change Modelling in the Upper Blue Nile Basin

et al. 2016

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Land-use and land-cover changes are driving unprecedented changes in ecosystems and environmental processes at different scales. This study was aimed at identifying the potential land-use drivers in the Jedeb catchment of the Abbay basin by combining statistical analysis, field investigation and remote sensing. To do so, a land-use change model was calibrated and evaluated using the SITE (SImulation of Terrestrial Environment) modelling framework. SITE is cellular automata based multi-criteria decision analysis framework for simulating land-use conversion based on socio-economic and environmental factors. Past land-use trajectories were evaluated using a reference Landsat-derived map (agreement of 84%). Results show that major land-use change drivers in the study area were population, slope, livestock and distances from various infrastructures (roads, markets and water). It was also found that farmers seem to increasingly prefer plantations of trees such as Eucalyptus by replacing croplands perhaps mainly due to declining crop yield, soil fertility and climate variability. Potential future trajectory of land-use change was also predicted under a business-as-usual scenario (2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022)(2023)(2024)(2025). Results show that agricultural land will continue to expand from 69.5% in 2009 to 77.5% in 2025 in the catchment albeit at a declining rate when compared with the period from 1986 to 2009. Plantation forest will also increase at a much higher rate, mainly at the expense of natural vegetation, agricultural land and grasslands. This study provides critical information to land-use planners and policy makers for a more effective and proactive management in this highland catchment.

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Implications of Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics for Mountain Resource Degradation in the Northwestern Ethiopian Highlands

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 369 publications

References 2 publications

Household- and plot-level impacts of sustainable land management practices in the face of climate variability and change: empirical evidence from Dabus Sub-basin, Blue Nile River, Ethiopia

Household- and plot-level impacts of sustainable land management practices in the face of climate variability and change: empirical evidence from Dabus Sub-basin, Blue Nile River, Ethiopia

Identifying Land Use/Cover Dynamics in the Koga Catchment, Ethiopia, from Multi-Scale Data, and Implications for Environmental Change

Land-Use Change Modelling in the Upper Blue Nile Basin

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