Monitoring and Evaluating Land Use/ Land Cover Change Using Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) Tools: A Case Study of Begasheka Watershed, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

Agricultural land degradation in Ethiopia leads to an annual loss of roughly 2 million cubic meters of top soil. The relationship between this loss of soil quality and declining agricultural productivity is increasingly threatening rural livelihoods, putting pressure on urban centres as people migrate, as well as on very scarce forest resources on which the agricultural systems eventually depend Attempts to address land degradation have required the government of Ethiopia to fully understand the underlying social and ecological drivers of land degradation. In order to fully develop the knowledge portfolio required to design and implement land rehabilitation measures in remote areas experiencing degradation, an adaptable, robust and credible system of ethno-ecological knowledge representation, analyses and communication is required. This is needed not only to bridge the technological gap between the rural and urban areas but to facilitate the representation and integration of both temporally and spatially explicit historical and 'real time' knowledge, held within rural environments. This paper describes the application of participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) tools and approaches in Tigray, Ethiopia. In this application to generate both current and retrospective information of land use processes, the use of PGIS focuses on methods of knowledge 'capture', representation and communication through the graphic representation of both past and present land uses using rudimentary tools. The information gathered in the process is then transferred into a Geographic Information System, for additional analyses, sharing with scientists and onwards transmission to decision makers and other users in a form which they respect, can understand and reproduce. The practice of PGIS in this setting in Ethiopia has encouraged broad-based participation at community levels, improved within-community communication and provided opportunities for greater social inclusion in development processes.

Assessing land use and land cover change using the participatory geographical information system (PGIS) approach in Nguruman Sub-catchment, Kajiado north Sub county, kenya

“…Once the maps were drawn, discussions were carried out focusing on the accuracy of the mental maps for Pakasse and Entasopia and modifications were made until there was consensus among the participants. Similar procedures were followed by Aynekulu et al (2006). The main land uses inserted in the maps included cropland, forestland, bareland, open water, swamps and grasslands and settlements.…”

“…Compared to other similar studies (Mbau et al, 2013;Aynekulu et al, 2006) the approach can facilitate the bottom transmission of information thus influencing the process of decision making using bottom up approach including gender representation by involving both men and women sketching the mental maps. This application of PGIS attempts to reduce the implementation of imposed solutions that do not represent or reflect public concerns.…”

The Effect of Age of Exclosures and Aspect on Aboveground Carbon of Boswellia papyrifera Dominated Woodland of Kafta Humera, Western Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

“…The first sample plot was placed randomly, following systematic sampling procedure with 100 m interval between plots of the same transect [14,17]. All tree diameters in the larger plot were measured at breast height (DBH) (1.3 m aboveground level) and at stump height (DSH) (30 cm aboveground level) [18].…”

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies Vis-À-Vis the Agriculture and Water Sectors in Ethiopia - Case Review/Study of the EPCC Project

“…Until the recent massive plantations, the northern highlands in general and Tigray in particular have been devoid of vegetation cover. A watershed scale investigation by Aynekulu et al [12] indicated that 75% of the forest land had been converted into arable land over a period of 50 years. Studies carried out in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia indicate a considerable decline in the natural forest cover and expansion of cultivated land [13][14][15].…”