The role of Indigenous Knowledge in Land Management for Carbon Sequestration and Ecological Services in Southern Ethiopia

The significance of Indigenous Knowledge [IK] systems in management of sustainable ecosystems has long been recognized. This study reflects the role of IK in sustaining ecosystem services and contributing to carbon sequestration among the Wolayta people in Damot-Sore District, Southern Ethiopia. The study applied an ethno-ecological approach using key informants, group discussions, village-dialogues and validation methods. Expert rating of land management practices and comparison of land suitability classifications systems was also used. Although past development has overlooked IK, this study reflects the significance and wealth of IK as exhibited in the diversity of practices, terminology, and land suitability classification system. Among the nine land management practices observed, indigenous agro-forestry has the highest potential in contributing to carbon sequestration, mitigating climate change and sustaining soil ecosystem services. Croplands have the most diverse and widely used indigenous land management practices compared with forests and grass lands. The study recommends further quantitative valuation and integration of appropriate practices in development intervention. Key words: Ecological services, Ethiopia, Indigenous Knowledge, Land management, Soil carbon

A Review on Soil Carbon Sequestration in Ethiopia to Mitigate Land Degradation and Climate Change

Land degradation in Ethiopia leads, inter alia, to a decline in soil quality and depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC). Sequestration of SOC, in turn, is a practical option not only to increase the SOC stock and quality, but also to decrease soil degradation, increase productivity, and mitigate climate change. The objective of this review is to show gaps and priorities in research and development related to SOC sequestration in Ethiopia. The review focuses at the SOC pool, distribution, its relation with degradation, progress achieved and future direction in SOC sequestration. The review shows that land degradation in Ethiopia also implies a historic loss of the SOC pool. A preliminary estimate in this study shows that the SOC pool in Ethiopia is 14 billion tons of C. Reviewed figures ( from plot to large scale study) implied erosion-induced SOC depletion values from 0.02 to 0.97 tonnes/ha/yr. Accelerated carbon depletion ( in both biomass and soils) occurs on an estimated 0.2 million ha of forest land and on 8 million ha of croplands in two cropping seasons. Review of eight year Ministry of Agriculture report shows that the current national estimate of SOC building practices, sustainable land management, is covering about 2 million ha per year, with an investment of 150 million USD/yr. In spite of such development efforts in natural resources management since the mid-1970s, still about 50 million ha of land has depleted SOC. Based on the review, the paper outlines research and development priorities and recommends establishing carbon network and linking SOC financing with efforts to mitigate land degradation and climate change. Key words: Climate Change, Ethiopia, Soil, Carbon Sequestration

Ensuring sustainable water security through sustainable land management: Research evidences for policy

Sustainable land management (SLM) practices is a key to reducing rates of land degradation and has proven to ensure water security by increasing soil moisture availability, decreasing surface runoff, decreasing soil erosion, increasing infiltration, and decreasing flood discharge. Land degradation is adversely affecting over 75% of the Earth's land surface and could exceed 90% by 2050. The rate of soil erosion will increase by 66% during the period 2015–2070. Over 85% of the land in Ethiopia is moderately to very severely degraded at an estimated cost of $4.6 billion annually. So far, only 18% of Ethiopia's cropland area is covered by SLM practices for the last 40 years of intensive interventions. Water security, in turn, is a powerful and multidimensional option that includes water availability, accessibility, use, and stability across time. In Ethiopia, though, the interconnections between SLM and water security are intimate and numerous, their linkage is very loose and yet to be understood. Ethiopia is among the 16 LDCs and is critically water-insecure, implying that abundant natural water availability does not necessarily ensure water security as it might be poor water quality, inaccessible, and unsafe. Hence, national and local level of SLM and water security linkages, impacts, and policy implications must come on board in the least developing countries like Ethiopia. Therefore, SLM-water security policy is crucial in successful SLM because governments/higher officials are capable of promoting well-informed water security decisions

The impacts of rice cultivation on an indigenous Fogera cattle population at the eastern shore of Lake Tana, Ethiopia

BackgroundEven though increasing population pressure and associated increased demand for food and economic development have led to overexploitation and degradation of wetlands throughout the world, the drivers are most severe in developing countries. For generations, Fogera wetlands in Ethiopia which are parts of Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve have been widely used for grazing of indigenous cattle. Fogera cattle are one of several recognized indigenous breeds of Abyssinian zebu bovine cattle (Bos primigenius indicus) found in Fogera district, Ethiopia. This study was conducted to quantify impacts of rice expansion on cattle population in Fogera wetlands. Data were collected through questionnaire, focus group discussions, interviews, and land use/land cover analysis. Respondents were selected using systematic random sampling. Variance and LEVENES test were used to analyze the livestock unit and to check homogeneity.ResultsThe study revealed that during the 20-year period preceding 2015, the number of cattle owned decreased from 3509 to 1510 heads. In the same period, rice cultivation increased from 182 to 9499 ha and production from 6701 to 714,013 qt. Grazing lands were reduced from 8550 to 3501 ha, wetlands from 3114 to 1060 ha, and forests from 1542 to 907 ha. Land use/land cover changes showed a negative balance of 40% dry matter requiring cattle feed to be increasingly supplemented through purchases, or reduction in herd number. The study also indicated that the land-use changes brought at the expense of traditional cattle production systems.ConclusionHence, proper management is required to maintain these valuable resources and keep their role in socioeconomic development of the area

Ethiopia Geographic Base Map : Change in Forest Cover 2000-2015

Based on data presented by Hansen forest cover loss and gain was aggregated by a factor of 8 to enhance visibility of site specific trends (30 m source data pix els). Forest gain was defined as the invers of loss, or the establishment of tree canopy from a non forest state. Changes in forest cover affect the delivery of important ecosystem services, including biodiversity richness, climate regulation, carbon storage, and water supplies

Water use of Prosopis juliflora and its impacts on catchment water budget and rural livelihoods in Afar Region, Ethiopia

CITATION: Shiferaw, H. et al. 2021. Water use of Prosopis juliflora and its impacts on catchment water budget and rural livelihoods in Afar Region, Ethiopia. Scientific Reports, 11:2688,doi:10.1038/s41598-021-81776-6.The original publication is available at https://www.nature.comDense impenetrable thickets of invasive trees and shrubs compete with other water users and thus disrupt ecosystem functioning and services. This study assessed water use by the evergreen Prosopis juliflora, one of the dominant invasive tree species in semi-arid and arid ecosystems in the tropical regions of Eastern Africa. The objectives of the study were to (1) analyze the seasonal water use patterns of P. juliflora in various locations in Afar Region, Ethiopia, (2) up-scale the water use from individual tree transpiration and stand evapotranspiration (ET) to the entire invaded area, and 3) estimate the monetary value of water lost due to the invasion. The sap flow rates of individual P. juliflora trees were measured using the heat ratio method while stand ET was quantified using the eddy covariance method. Transpiration by individual trees ranged from 1–36 L/day, with an average of 7 L of water per tree per day. The daily average transpiration of a Prosopis tree was about 3.4 (± 0.5) mm and the daily average ET of a dense Prosopis stand was about 3.7 (± 1.6) mm. Using a fractional cover map of P. juliflora (over an area of 1.18 million ha), water use of P. juliflora in Afar Region was estimated to be approximately 3.1–3.3 billion m3/yr. This volume of water would be sufficient to irrigate about 460,000 ha of cotton or 330,000 ha of sugar cane, the main crops in the area, which would generate an estimated net benefit of approximately US$320 million and US$ 470 million per growing season from cotton and sugarcane, respectively. Hence, P. juliflora invasion in the Afar Region has serious impacts on water availability and on the provision of other ecosystem services and ultimately on rural livelihoods.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81776-6Publisher's versio

Research−implementation organisations and their role for sustainable development

Over the past decade, considerable progress has been made by higher education institutions (HEIs) to align with sustainable development goals. Specifically, aspects of sustainable development have been integrated into the existing mandates of HEIs – education, research and operations. The main objective of the current study was to assess a sub-group of African HEIs that have an explicit mandate for implementation science and pursue development assistance-type services and to describe their added value to advance sustainable development. We conducted a qualitative situational assessment, including 22 institutions from 13 countries. Interviews and surveys were done with 42 participants composed of director-level representatives and staff members engaged both in research and implementation. The data were subjected to qualitative content analysis. The main strengths of the participating organisations vis-à-vis implementation projects and wider sustainable development were the quality of implementation, local relevance of the research and uptake of research evidence into policy and practice. A major weakness was the challenge of operating such a bi-sectoral model, while maintaining high-level performance in both areas. Yet, the examined research implementation institutions draw from and combine the competences of research, education and implementation and have a distinctive role to play in the attainment of sustainable development, especially when operating by an optimised support system and within strong research ecosystems. Based on our study, we provide a definition of research implementation organisations that may serve institutions to enhance their standing, their operations and their significance for sustainable development

Ethiopia Geographic Base Map: WLRC Land Use/Land Cover 2016 (Overview Map Series) Scale: 1:250,000

The main methodological approach implemented to map the complex landscapes of Ethiopia at the required scales for the MapServer series was the majority and minority concept of landscape segregation that translated into the HICU-based mapping (Homogenous Image Classification Units). The employ ment of such an ‘exclusion-based’ approach (e.g. sub-setting of the Landsat imagery and gradually reducing the minorities/majorities) can be considered as a breakthrough in deriving important land cover information in heterogeneous landscapes, such as the rainfed agricultural area of Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the final land cover was mapped using an approach that combined the automated HICU approach with expert knowledge and visual delimination of units. This approach made it possible to distinguish cultivated land from other land use or land cover classes. Unsurprisingly, the actual amount of cultivated land is considerably larger than that indicated by official statistics in use since the mid-1980s, when the rural population was half its current size. The team also mapped large-scale land use sy stems, inclusive of any foreign direct investments. Results of the study show there has been a considerable expansion and intensification of farming in the past three decades, unfortunately leading to more soil erosion

Water Security for Climate Resilience Report: A synthesis of research from the Oxford University REACH programme

This report presents a synthesis of published and ongoing research by REACH which explores the relationship between water security, climate and climate adaptation decisions, drawing on findings from REACH research conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We demonstrate the unequal impact of climate on water security, and on people’s lives and livelihoods, which can be counter-intuitive to broad narratives around resilience and adaptation. We exemplify the impact of seasonal fluctuations in weather on surface and groundwater quality and quantity, and show that water security risks evolve with shifting climate conditions, water use behaviours, and policy decisions. We also present a deepened understanding of location- and context specific climate issues and dynamics, revealing a pressing need to consider and plan for different distributional impacts of climate and climate change