Land-Use and Land-Cover Dynamics in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Abstract

Understanding the complexity of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes and their driving forces and impacts on human and environmental security is important for the planning of natural resource management and associated decision making. This study combines and compares participatory field point sampling (pfps) and remote sensing to explore local LULC dynamics. The study was conducted in two peasant associations located in the central Ethiopian Rift Valley, which is a dry-land mixed farming area exposed to rapid deforestation. From 1973-2006, the area of cropland doubled at the expense of woodland and wooded-grassland in both of the study sites. Major deforestation and forest degradation took place from 1973-1986; woodland cover declined from 40% to 9% in one of the study sites, while the other lost all of its original 54% woodland cover. Our study concludes that assessing LULC dynamics using a combination of remote sensing and pfps is a valuable approach. The two methods revealed similar LULC trends, while the pfps provided additional details on how farmers view the changes. This study documents dramatic trends in LULC over time, associated with rapid population growth, recurrent drought, rainfall variability and declining crop productivity. The alarming nature of these trends is reflected in a decrease in the livelihood security of local communities and in environmental degradation. Given these dry-land conditions, there are few opportunities to improve livelihoods and environmental security without external support. If negative changes are to be halted, action must be taken, including building asset bases, instituting family planning services, and creating opportunities outside these marginal environments.

Remote Sensing based multi-temporal land cover classification and change detection in northwestern Ethiopia

“…The cross-tabulation matrices show that the most prominent transition from 1972 to 2010 is a conversion from woodland to cropland, which accounts for 51.96 % of the landscape. Different studies also showed an increase in area of cropland in other parts of the country [Reid et al, 2000;Garedew et al 2009;Lemenih et al, 2012;Kindu et al, 2013] and globally [Lambin et al, 2003;Hanafi and Jauffret, 2008]. The rapid vegetation removal has exposed the topsoil to wind and water erosion processes.…”

“…During the study period, major land use classes have shown a significant transition like most parts of the country [Reid et al, 2000;Garedew et al, 2009;Tsegaye et al, 2010] and other dry land areas [Lambin et al, 2003;Hanafi and Jauffret, 2008]. The land cover transition is higher for woodland, cropland and grassland within the landscape.…”

Diversity and abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with acacia trees from different land use systems in Ethiopia

“…The Rift Valley area is one of the regions that suffer most from rapid deforestation that has led to the decrease in the biodiversity of the woodlands for intensive agriculture and settlement for the ever increasing small-hold farming community (Garedew et al, 2009). It is also established that agricultural development can change the whole spectrum of AMF associations that are specifically associated with fitness of specific plants, plant community structure and ecological variability (Van der Heijden et al, 1998).…”

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

“…The results of the pressure are manifold: intensified agriculture, decreasing amount of forest land, loss of biodiversity, intensified land degradation and soil erosion [10]. 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].…”

“…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]. Population pressures in Ethiopia have decreased the size of holdings, including both arable and pasture lands, leading to conversion of forested and marginal areas into agricultural lands [13].…”