Structure, Species Composition and Status of Naturally Regenerated Woody Species in Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (Myrtaceae) Plantation at Entoto Mountain, Ethiopia

This study was carried out at Entoto Mountain Eucalyptus plantation; about 10 km north of the center of Addis Ababa, to assess the composition, structure and the status of naturally regenerated woody species in Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantation. Sixty plots of 400 m 2 (20 m X 20 m) size were established along a transect lines at every 300 m distance between them. Transects were laid in north–south directions at 500 m distance from each other. Seedlings were colleted from five sub-plots (4 m 2) within each major plot. A total of 41 naturally regenerated woody species (NRWS) were recorded in Entoto E. globulus plantation. They represented 33 genera and 25 families. Density of NRWS greater than 2.5 cm DBH was 932.1ha-1. With increase in diameter class, the number of NRWS decreased in the E. globulus plantation. About 87% of the individuals had DBH of first DBH class (2.6-7.5 cm). Density ratio of individuals >10 cm DBH to that of individuals >20 cm DBH showed the predominance of small-sized individuals; this is the result of the recent regeneration. The ratio of stems per species is very high in the lower storey (63.9) also showed the predominance of shorter high individuals. J. procera (98.3%) was the most frequent NRWS and had an overriding dominance in terms of basal area (95.16%) and IVI values (81.8%). This result may indicate that J. procera is eco-friendly and competent with E. globulus. Therefore, E. globulus may not have a negative effect on J. procera. Thus, in degraded high rainfall areas, E. globulus plantations may play a role in fostering the regeneration of woody species such as J. procera. Species were prioritized for conservation using important value index, population structure and regeneration status as criteria. Keywords: Entoto, Eucalyptus globulus, naturally regenerated woody species, Plantatio

The Status of Ethnobotanical Knowledge of Medicinal Plants and the Impacts of Resettlement in Delanta, Northwestern Wello, Northern Ethiopia

The present study was conducted in Delanta (Ethiopia) to examine the use of medicinal plants and investigate the impacts of the 1984/85 resettlement program on the local people’s knowledge on herbal medicine and its uses. The research was conducted with 72 informants in six study sites through semistructured interviews, group discussion, and market survey. In this study, 133 species belonging to 116 genera and 57 families were documented. These plants were mentioned for uses in the treatment of about 76 human and livestock ailments. The family Asteraceae was represented by the highest number with 14 species. Herbs accounted for 52.6% of the total species and leaves (32.6%) were the most frequently used parts. The analysis showed that the resettlement program has both positive and negative impacts on nature rehabilitation and local knowledge along with many human induced threats. Most of the plant knowledge is held by traditional healers and permanent residents. The people’s preference for some medicinal plants gave indications of continuity of the ethnomedicinal information among the inhabitants. The findings inform that efforts need to be directed to in situ conservation in two of the plant community types which could protect a good proportion (about 50%) of the medicinal plant species

Temporal and spatial variability of rainfall distribution and evapotranspiration across altitudinal gradient in the Bilate River Watershed, Southern Ethiopia

Rainfall and evapotranspiration are the two major climatic factors affecting agricultural production. This study examined the extent and nature of rainfall variability from measured data while estimation of evapotranspiration was made from recorded weather data. Analysis of rainfall variability is made by the rainfall anomaly index, coefficient of variance and precipitation concentration index. The FAO-56 reference ET (ETo) approach was used to determine the amount of evapotranspiration. Estimation of the onset, end of growing season and length of growing period was done using Instat software. The results show that mean annual rainfall of the upper (2307 m.a.s.l), middle (1772 m.a.s.l) and lower (1361 m.a.s.l) altitude zones of the watershed are in the order of 1100, 1070 and 785 mm with CV of 12, 15 and 17% respectively. There was a high temporal anomaly in rainfall between 1980 and 2013. The wettest years recorded Rainfall Anomaly Index of +5, +6 and +8 for stations in upper, middle and lower altitude zones respectively, where the driest year recorded value is -5 in all the stations. The average onset date of rainfall for the upper zone is April 3 ± 8 days, for the middle zone April 10 ± 10 days and for the lower zone is April 11 ± 11 days with CV of 23%, 26 and 29% respectively. The average end dates of the rainy season in the upper and middle zones are October 3 ± 5 days and September 25 ± 7 days with CV 5 and 7%. The main rainy season ends earlier in the lower zone; it is on July 12 ± 10 days with CV of 14%.Keywords: Variability, days of the year (DOY), onset, end date, length of growing period (LGP

Modeling the hydrological impacts of land use/land cover changes in the Andassa watershed, Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Understanding the hydrological response of a watershed to land use/land cover (LULC) changes is imperative for water resources management planning. The objective of this study was to analyze the hydrological impacts of LULC changes in the Andassa watershed for a period of 1985–2015 and to predict the LULC change impact on the hydrological status in year 2045. The hybrid land use classification technique for classifying Landsat images (1985, 2000 and 2015); Cellular-Automata Markov (CA-Markov) for prediction of the 2030 and 2045 LULC states; the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for hydrological modeling were employed in the analyses. In order to isolate the impacts of LULC changes, the LULC maps were used independently while keeping the other SWAT inputs constant. The contribution of each of the LULC classes was examined with the Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) model. The results showed that there was a continuous expansion of cultivated land and built-up area, and withdrawing of forest, shrubland and grassland during the 1985–2015 periods, which are expected to continue in the 2030 and 2045 periods. The LULC changes, which had occurred during the period of 1985 to 2015, had increased the annual flow (2.2%), wet seasonal flow (4.6%), surface runoff (9.3%) and water yield (2.4%). Conversely, the observed changes had reduced dry season flow (2.8%), lateral flow (5.7%), groundwater flow (7.8%) and ET (0.3%). The 2030 and 2045 LULC states are expected to further increase the annual and wet season flow, surface runoff and water yield, and reduce dry season flow, groundwater flow, lateral flow and ET. The change in hydrological components is a direct result of the significant transition from the vegetation to non-vegetation cover in the watershed. This suggests an urgent need to regulate the LULC in order to maintain the hydrological balance

Estimating the impacts of land use/land cover changes on Ecosystem Service Values: The case of the Andassa watershed in the Upper Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia

Estimating the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes in Ecosystem Service Values (ESV) is indispensable to provide public awareness about the status of ESV, and to help in policy-making processes. This study was intended to estimate the impacts of LULC changes on ESV in the Andassa watershed of the Upper Blue Nile basin over the last three decades (1985–2015), and to predict the ESV changes in 2045. The hybrid land use classification technique for classifying Landsat images, the Cellular-Automata Markov (CA-Markov) model for LULC prediction, and the modified ecosystem service value coefficients for estimating ESV were employed. Our findings revealed that there was a continues expansions of cultivated land and built-up area, and withdrawing of forest, shrubland and grassland during the 1985–2015 periods, which are expected to continue for the next three decades. Consequently, the total ESV of the watershed has declined from US$26.83 × 106 in 1985 to US$22.58 × 106 in 2000 and to US$21.00 × 106 in 2015 and is expected to further reduce to US$17.94 × 106 in 2030 and to US$15.25 × 106 in 2045. The impacts of LULC changes on the specific ecosystem services are also tremendous

Treatment of organic resources before soil incorporation in semi-arid regions improves resilience to El Niño, and increases crop production and economic returns

We are grateful for support from the DFID-NERC El Niño programme in project NE P004830, “Building Resilience in Ethiopia’s Awassa region to Drought (BREAD)”, the ESRC NEXUS programme in project IEAS/POO2501/1, “Improving organic resource use in rural Ethiopia (IPORE)”, and the NERC ESPA programme in project NEK0104251 “Alternative carbon investments in ecosystems for poverty alleviation (ALTER)”. We are also grateful to Anke Fischer (James Hutton Insitute) for her comments on the paper.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Bringing the Nature Futures Framework to life: creating a set of illustrative narratives of nature futures

To halt further destruction of the biosphere, most people and societies around the globe need to transform their relationships with nature. The internationally agreed vision under the Convention of Biological Diversity—Living in harmony with nature—is that “By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefts essential for all people”. In this context, there are a variety of debates between alternative perspectives on how to achieve this vision. Yet, scenarios and models that are able to explore these debates in the context of “living in harmony with nature” have not been widely developed. To address this gap, the Nature Futures Framework has been developed to catalyse the development of new scenarios and models that embrace a plurality of perspectives on desirable futures for nature and people. In this paper, members of the IPBES task force on scenarios and models provide an example of how the Nature Futures Framework can be implemented for the development of illustrative narratives representing a diversity of desirable nature futures: information that can be used to assess and develop scenarios and models whilst acknowledging the underpinning value perspectives on nature. Here, the term illustrative refects the multiple ways in which desired nature futures can be captured by these narratives. In addition, to explore the interdependence between narratives, and therefore their potential to be translated into scenarios and models, the six narratives developed here were assessed around three areas of the transformative change debate, specifcally, (1) land sparing vs. land sharing, (2) Half Earth vs. Whole Earth conservation, and (3) green growth vs. post-growth economic development. The paper concludes with an assessment of how the Nature Futures Framework could be used to assist in developing and articulating transformative pathways towards desirable nature futures

Erosion risk assessment for prioritization of conservation measures in Geleda watershed, Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia

Abstract Background Soil erosion is among the most challenging and continuous environmental problems in the highlands of Ethiopia. This study was conducted in the Geleda watershed of the Blue Nile basin in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia to measure erosion rates and map out erosion risks for prioritization of conservation measures. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model, which was adapted to the Ethiopian conditions, was used for this purpose. Results Soil losses ranged from 0 in plain areas to 237\ua0t\ua0ha \u22121 \ua0year \u22121 in the steep slope areas of the watershed with an average soil loss of 23.7\ua0t\ua0ha \u22121 \ua0year \u22121 . About 21.25% of the watershed area experienced soil losses above the tolerable limit of 11\ua0t\ua0ha \u22121 \ua0year \u22121 . The total annual soil loss from the entire watershed area of 25,609\ua0ha was about 157,022 tones. Conclusions In the steep slope areas of the watershed, where the extension of cultivated land resulted in high soil losses, soil erosion is a serious problem and requires appropriate intervention with soil conservation measures

Impact of land use land cover changes on ecosystem service values in the Dire and Legedadi watersheds, central highlands of Ethiopia: Implication for landscape management decision making

Land use land cover change in a landscape is the main driver of degradation in ecosystem goods and services. This study was aimed at analysing the dynamics of the LULC change in the catchments of the water supply reservoirs as well as the impact on the Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs) between 1985 and 2022. The benefit transfer method was used to evaluate ecosystem service value (ESV) changes in response to LULC. The watersheds experienced substantial LULC changes. As a result, the natural vegetation, grasslands, and eucalyptus plantations declined dramatically, while settlements and cultivated lands considerably increased. The global and local ESV estimates show a dramatic decline in ESVs between 1985 and 2022. According to global and local ESV estimates, total ESV in the Legedadi watershed has decreased from approximately US$65.8 million in 1985 to approximately US$ 11.9 million in 2022 and from approximately US$42.7 million in 1985 to approximately US$ 9.66 million in 2022. According to global and local ESV estimates, total ESV in the Dire watershed decreased from approximately US$437 thousand in 1985 to approximately US$ 59 thousand in 2022 and from approximately US$225 thousand in 1985 to approximately US$ 36 thousand in 2022. The overall decline in ESV demonstrates that the natural environment is deteriorating as a result of replacement of the natural land cover by other economic land uses. Hence, it is highly recommended that implementing sustainable watershed management practices to halt the dramatic loss of natural ecosystems must be a high priority