Forest Resources Monitoring for Proper Management in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is considered as the center of origin with many forests richest in species diversity.  These Forests are one of Ethiopian greatest natural assets. They play an indispensible role in protection of environment, regulating climate, controlling water runoff, maintaining ecological balance and producing valuable materials. However, these forest resources are highly declined due to rapid and continuous deforestation activities; agricultural expansion and settlement. To minimize the risk, there are increasing needs to measure and monitor the extent and condition of Ethiopian forests for management purposes. Monitoring is an essential tool in ecological and biodiversity management. It improves the manager’s ability to make proper decisions through a wide range of forest data collection by agencies including Federal and State and Territory governments. These are often collected using different methods and are not always consistent across boundaries making national compilations difficult. Monitoring indicates changing methods of forest mapping over time also poses problems for assessing trends in forest extent and condition. Keywords:  Forest, assessments, ecology, monitoring, managemen

A Comparative Study of Woody Plant Species Diversity at Adey Amba Enclosed Forest and Nearby Open Site in West Belessa District, Northwestern Ethiopia

The study was carried out to evaluate woody species diversity comparatively on enclosed forest and open site in North Western highlands of Ethiopia. Systematic sampling method was used to collect vegetation data from 36 quadrants. Each quadrant has 20 m x 20 m size with an interval of 100 m which was laid along four transect lines. Within each quadrant, vegetation data such as seedlings, saplings and tree species were directly counted from both open and enclosed sites. The counted and recorded trees, saplings and seedlings of each species were marked with dyes to avoid confusion. Shannon-Wiener and Simpson’s diversity index were applied to quantify species diversity, richness and evenness. The result showed that sapling and seedling diversity was very high from enclosure site. These imply the enclosure was at high rate of regeneration. Keywords:, Woody species, diversity, enclosure, open sit

Application of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory to Ethiopian Cancer Patients

Objectives: Fatigue is a frequent debilitating symptom associated with cancer. However, scientific data on cancer-related fatigue is scarce in developing nations. This work examines psychometric properties of the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI- 20) and analyzes the level of fatigue among Ethiopian patients with cancer in comparison with data from Germany. Methods: A sample of 256 patients with cancer drawn from a hospital in Ethiopia was examined with the MFI-20 and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). A comparative sample of 780 German patients with cancer served as the control. Results: The MFI-20 scales and total score showed acceptable reliability (a = 0.60– 0.93) with a considerable convergent validity between MFI-20 and the EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue scale (r = 0.67–0.75). The Ethiopian patients with cancer reported higher levels of fatigue than the German patients. Analyses of variance showed that Ethiopian patients with cancer who were illiterate, having advanced cancer, and those who did not receive either surgery or chemotherapy reported especially high levels of fatigue. Conclusion: The MFI-20 is a fairly reliable and valid instrument to be used with Amharic speaking patients with cancer. The high level of fatigue in these patients implies that appropriate cancer care is needed in developing countries

Bahir Dar tannery effluent characterization and its impact on the head of Blue Nile River

A study was conducted to characterize Bahir Dar tannery effluent and determine its impact on the head of Blue Nile River using selected physicochemical parameters. Samples were taken from the direct effluent stream and four sampling sites (one upstream and three downstream) were selected along the river to determine its impact on the river. Samples were collected from October to March, 2010/11. Temperature, pH, conductivity and total dissolved solids (TDS) were measured in situ using a combined meter. The samples for the rest physicochemical parameters were collected from the sites using the appropriate method. In the laboratory, BOD5 and COD were measured according to standard methods. Total nitrogen, total phosphorous, chloride and sulphide, were determined with Hach nutrient analysis kits and a Hach spectrophotometer. Total suspended solids were determined photometrically. The heavy metal, chromium (as Cr total), was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry according to standard methods. The results show that the impact of the effluent from biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH3-N, total nitrogen, chlorides, sulphides and chromium was significant with concentrations of 342±52.5, 850.75±96.2, 288±75.8, 462.5±130, 1408.13±405.3, 16.05±3.04 and 3.54±0.55, respectively and most of the effluent characteristics were beyond the provisional discharge limit set out by the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority. Analysis of variance indicated that all the physicochemical parameters except temperature, pH and total phosphorous significantly varied among sampling sites (p<0.05); the reference or upstream site having lower value than downstream sites. The result shows the pollution load of the effluent on the river and the urgent need for measures to be taken.Key words: Tannery effluent, physicochemical parameters, Blue Nile River

Determinants of Divorce in Muslim Community in Gondar City Administration

Background: The trend of divorce shows that the situation is getting worse worldwide. This higher rate of divorce has tremendous impacts on psychological, social, economical and spiritual lives of the divorcees, their children, their parents, the communities and the nation at large. Contrary to this fact, there is no well-organized research conducted on determinants and consequences of divorce on the divorcees, particularly among the Muslim couples of Gondar city administration;  Objective: This research aimed to investigate the causes of divorce among the Muslim couples in Gondar city administration. Methods: to achieve the research objectives both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Quantitative data were collected by using structured questionnaire from 361 respondents who were selected randomly from 16 Jemia†associations proportionally. Binary logistics regression and different types of descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the quantitative data.  In addition, qualitative data by in depth interview and focus group discussion were collected and analyzed in line with the objective of the research and the emerging themes from the data.Results: financial problem, early marriage, age disparity, family interferences, frequent misunderstanding and conflict, sexual incompatibility and substance abuse are major causes of divorce among the Muslim couples in Gondar city administration. Couples with financial problem have 4.0 odds ratio; early marriage increases the odds of divorce among couples by 3.6 times. For each additional number of years age difference between couples, the odds of divorce will increased by a factor of 1.619. Family interference, and repeated misunderstanding and conflict will increase the probability of divorce by the odds of 2.96, and 2.94 respectively. Moreover, couples with substance abuse and sexual incompatibility had 2.9 and 2.3 odds of divorce respectively.Conclusion: there are different socio-cultural, economical and psychological causes of divorce among the Muslim couples in Gondar city administration. Recommendations: the reduction on the incidence of divorce seeks interventions from religious organizations and marital councilors in addition to couples commitment. Key Words: Determinants of divorce, Muslim couples & Gondar city administration.Â

The environmental quality and macroinvertebrate community structures of wetlands found in the Lake Tana Watershed, Ethiopia

The present study was conducted to assess the environmental quality status and macroinvertebrate community structures of wetlands using macroinvertebrates as bioindicators. A multimetric biotic index approach was used for the study. The findings revealed 3,367 macroinvertebrates belonging to 37 families. The percentages of Ephemeroptera, Odonata, and Tricoptera (%EOT), percent Diptera, percent filterercollectors, the ratio of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera to Chironomid (EPT/C), the Biological Monitoring Working Party Score, and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index were all significantly related to human disturbance and could be used to assess water quality. Based on the macroinvertebrate index, human disturbance had a significant impact on Shesher wetland, a relatively lower impact on Avaji and Yitamot, and a moderate impact on Chimba, while Dena and Wonjeta had good habitat quality. Their water quality was very poor, poor, moderate, and very good, in that order. Farming, leather tanning, waste dumping, and effluent discharges were responsible for the poor habitat quality of impacted wetlands. Therefore, unless managed properly, human disturbance activities in the wetlands catchment were threatening macroinvertebrates and the wetlands ecosystem. Hence, implementation of catchment-based management together with continuous health status monitoring and a standalone wetland policy should be established.&nbsp

Effectiveness and Key Success Factors for Implementation of Problem-Based Learning in Debre Tabor University: A Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND፡ Problem-based learning has been adopted as a core educational strategy for education of health professionals in more than a dozen of higher education institutions in Ethiopia. Debre Tabor University College of Health Sciences (DTUCHS) is one of the adopters. However, its effectiveness has not been researched yet. Thus, the objective of this study is to assess the quality of PBL implementation, its effectiveness in developing desired student learning outcomes and factors that facilitate or impede PBL implementation.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in DTUCHS from May to June 2018. We collected quantitative data from students and tutors using self-administered questionnaire. We complemented this with key informant interviews with academic leaders. We computed descriptive statistics from quantitative data while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis.RESULTS: A total of 308 students, 42 tutors and 8 academic leaders were included in the study. Students, tutors and academic leaders perceived that PBL was effective in developing knowledge, problem-solving skills, self-directed learning skills and collaboration competencies. The implementation process showed the existence of clear objectives, appropriate cases, and reasonable workload. Students rated tutors' performance positively, and tutors also rated student learning affirmatively. However, unlike tutors, students thought that the assessment of student performance in PBL was not appropriate. The factors that facilitated PBL implementation were students' and tutors' buy-in, clear curriculum design, adequate infrastructure, commitment to hire more faculty and develop their teaching skills continuously and strong coordination and monitoring.CONCLUSION: The findingsof our study support the introduction of PBL in a resource-constrained setting. Students, tutors and academic leaders perceived PBL to be effective in achieving desired student learning outcomes. Its implementation was considered consistent with the principles of PBL. Respondents identified the presence of enabling factors to implement PBL in Debre TaborUniversity (DTU)

Immune restoration disease and changes in CD4+ T-cell count in HIV- infected patients during highly active antiretroviral therapy at Zewditu memorial hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) improves the immune function and decreases morbidity, mortality and opportunistic infections (OIs) in HIV-infected patients. However, since the use of HAART, immune restoration disease (IRD) has been described in association with many OIs. Our objective was to determine the proportion of IRD, changes in CD4+ T-cell count and possible risk factors of IRD in HIV-infected patients. METHODS: A retrospective study of all HIV- infected patients starting HAART between September 1, 2005 and August 31, 2006 at Zewditu memorial hospital HIV clinic, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was conducted. All laboratory and clinical data were extracted from computerized clinic records and patient charts. RESULTS: A total of 1166 HIV- infected patients with mean ± SD age of 36 ± 9.3 years were on HAART. IRD was identified in 170 (14.6%) patients. OIs diagnosed in the IRD patients were tuberculosis (66.5%, 113/170), toxoplasmosis (12.9%, 22/170), herpes zoster rash (12.9%, 22/170), Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (4.1%, 7/170), and cryptococcosis (3.5%, 6/170). Of the 170 patients with IRD, 124 (72.9%) patients developed IRD within the first 3 months of HAART initiation. Low baseline CD4+ T-cell count (odds ratio [OR], 3.16, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.19-4.58) and baseline extra pulmonary tuberculosis (OR, 7.7, 95% CI, 3.36-17.65) were associated with development of IRD. Twenty nine (17.1%) of the IRD patients needed to use systemic anti-inflammatory treatment where as 19(11.2%) patients required hospitalization associated to the IRD occurrence. There was a total of 8 (4.7%) deaths attributable to IRD. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion and risk factors of IRD and the pattern of OIs mirrored reports from other countries. Close monitoring of patients during the first three months of HAART initiation is important to minimize clinical deterioration related to IRD

Spatial and Temporal Land Cover Changes in the Simen Mountains National Park, a World Heritage Site in Northwestern Ethiopia

The trend of land cover (LC) and land cover change (LCC), both in time and space, was investigated at the Simen Mountains National Park (SMNP), a World Heritage Site located in northern Ethiopia, between 1984 and 2003 using Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). The objective of the study was to generate spatially and temporally quantified information on land cover dynamics, providing the basis for policy/decision makers and resource managers to facilitate biodiversity conservation, including wild animals. Two satellite images (Landsat TM of 1984 and Landsat ETM+ of 2003) were acquired and supervised classification was used to categorize LC types. Ground Control Points were obtained in field condition for georeferencing and accuracy assessment. The results showed an increase in the areas of pure forest (Erica species dominated) and shrubland but a decrease in the area of agricultural land over the 20 years. The overall accuracy and the Kappa value of classification results were 88 and 85%, respectively. The spatial setting of the LC classes was heterogeneous and resulted from the biophysical nature of SMNP and anthropogenic activities. Further studies are suggested to evaluate the existing LC and LCC in connection with wildlife habitat, conservation and management of SMNP

Planting of Acacia decurrens and Dynamics of Land Cover Change in Fagita Lekoma District in the Northwestern Highlands of Ethiopia

Understanding the magnitude and drivers of land cover change is key to designing effective natural resource management interventions and restoring degraded landscapes. We analyzed land cover change from 1995 to 2015 in Fagita Lekoma District in northwestern Ethiopia using Landsat images and found that forest cover increased by 1.2% per year, while areas covered by cropland decreased by 1% per year. The increase in forest cover is mainly attributable to increased planting of Acacia decurrens. The expansion of A. decurrens plantations could be attributed to its potential to provide short-term economic benefits. This indicates that economic activities that generate short-term benefits may strongly influence the selection of land uses in the study area. Planting of A. decurrens generates job opportunities for the landless and enables farmers to diversify their livelihoods. It rarely restricts other agricultural practices, as farmers are able to grow cereals between the trees in the first 2 years following the establishment of an A. decurrens plantation. This enhances the efficient utilization of farmlands and diversifies agricultural products. Providing training to farmers on silvicultural practices and presenting alternative tree species are crucial to enhance their benefits and sustain charcoal production in such mountainous regions. Studies are required to understand how the observed land cover change affects land productivity, landscape, and biodiversity