Land Cover Changes in Lower Jubba Somalia

Abstract

Charcoal is the main cooking source of energy used by millions of households in Somalia and has been described as "black gold" because of the revenue it produces. The objective of this study was to understand the extent of land cover change, given the widely reported charcoal trade in the South of Somalia. Land cover change analysis was done using remotely data from Landsat imagery. Different images covering all districts in Lower Jubba from 1993/95, 2000 and 2014 were analysed and compared. A survey was conducted in Lower Jubba to determine the divers of deforestation and degradation in the region. Results showed a 50% reduction in forest cover and a 17% reduction in woodlands between 1993/95 and 2014. Results from the survey showed charcoal production as a maladaptive response to climate extremes. If business continues as usual with deforestation, the entire area could completely be deforested in the future. Results from this study can be useful in the development of strategies for reforestation, environmental management and sustainable development for this region.

Participation of civil society in decisions to mitigate environmental degradation in post-conflict societies: evidence from Somalia

“…We find that land degradation, deforestation, and drought are the most pressing environmental concerns in Somalia in general, and Puntland in particular (Figure 3), which is corroborated by previous research (Ogallo et al 2018;Oduori, Alim, and Gomes 2006;Oduori et al 2011;Rembold et al 2013). As reported by previous studies in Somalia, this is the result of unsustainable practices, over-dependence on scarce resources and ineffective governance regulations.…”

The Recurrence of Natural Disasters in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle Region, Somalia: The Causes and Impacts

“…By early 1992, it was estimated that between one-quarter and one-third of all children had died [13]. During the 2011 East Africa Drought, more than a quarter of a million-people died in Somalia, half of them children under the age of five [14]. The drought resulted in 955,000 Somali refugees in neighboring countries [15] and devastating economic losses to agriculture and livestock.…”

“…Studies of disasters suggest that a great many hazards are the result of interaction between natural events and environmental conditions that have been degraded by human action (Blaikie and others, 1994). A paradigmatic example of socio-natural hazards of this type are climate events and the environmental alterations expected as a consequence of global climate change induced by the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide resulting from human activity [14].…”