Billi, Paolo

Crummey, Donald

Deckers, Jozef

Descheemaeker, Katrien

Frankl, Amaury

Haile, Mitiku

Hurni, Hans

Moeyersons, Jan

Munro, Neil

Nievergelt, Bernhard

Nyssen, Jan

Poesen, Jean

Portner, Brigitte

Ritler, Alfons

Ghent University Academic Bibliography

Geophysical Research AbstractsVol. 12, EGU2010-1218-1, 2010EGU General Assembly 2010© Author(s) 2009Impacts of direct human activity and climate change on north Ethiopianmountain landscapes over 140 YearsJan Nyssen (1), Amaury Frankl (1), Mitiku Haile (2), Hans Hurni (3), Katrien Descheemaeker (4), Alfons Ritler(3), Donald Crummey (5), Bernhard Nievergelt (6), Jan Moeyersons (7), Neil Munro (8), and the Brigitte Portner(3), Jozef Deckers (9), Paolo Billi (1,10), Jean Poesen (9) Team(1) Ghent University, Department of Geography, Gent, Belgium (jan.nyssen@ugent.be), (2) Department of Land ResourcesManagement and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, Ethiopia, (3) Department of Geography, University of Berne,Switzerland, (4) International Water Management Institute/International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,(5) Department of History, University of Illinois, United States of America, (6) Institute of Zoology, Zürich University,Switzerland, (7) Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium, (8) Old Abbey Associates, Dirleton, Scotland, U.K., (9)Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KULeuven, Belgium, (10) Earth Sciences Institute, University Ferrara, ItalyStudies on recent environmental change in tropical areas are generally conducted over limited time scales. Thisstudy makes a multi-scale assessment over a time span of 140 years, in one of the world’s most degraded areas:the highlands of Northern Ethiopia. 300 landscapes, pictured on historical photographs, starting 1868, were re-photographed and environmental changes apparent on the paired photographs were analysed through expert rating.General tendencies appearing include an improved vegetation cover nowadays as compared to any period of thelast 140 years, with a second optimum in the early 20th century. In the uppermost areas (above 3500 m a.s.l.)an upward shift of the upper tree line (Erica arborea) is observed, demonstrating that global warming takes alsoplace in this region. At lower elevations, increased vegetation cover is the result of 25 years of intense rehabilitationactivities. Physical soil and water conservation follows the same trend. Regional variations occurring in these trendsare observed and discussed. The findings are substantiated by field investigations. The positive changes that resultfrom these conservation activities in the north Ethiopian highlands are an issue of global concern as they show that(1) in our study area direct human impact on the environment is overriding and (2) severe land degradation shouldnot always be irreversible.

Impacts of direct human activity and climate change on north Ethiopian mountain landscapes over 140 years

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/954890/file/954933

Impacts of direct human activity and climate change on north Ethiopian mountain landscapes over 140 years

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