International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy

| Peer-Reviewed |

Assessment of the Key Drivers of Forest Cover Change and Its Associated Livelihood Impacts in Yabello District, Borana Zone, Ethiopia

Received: Jan. 09, 2019    Accepted: Feb. 01, 2019    Published: Feb. 25, 2019
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

Land-use/land-cover change is a significant cause, or forcing function of global change and the medium through which many human responses to global change will occur. Analyzing the key drivers of forest and land use land cover change (LULC) is an effective way of assessing the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes in ecosystem function. A study was conducted to assess the key drivers of forest cover change and land use land cover change (LULCC) and its associated impacts on the livelihoods of the study area. About 128 respondents were interviewed to assess possible causes of the forest cover change and LULCC. The result of survey assessment indicated that recurrent drought (100%), wood extraction (100%), increased in human population size (99.2%), infrastructural expansion (settlement expansion and road construction) (81.3%), policy and institutional factors (70.3%), economic factors (64.9) and expansion of cultivation (32.1%) and social-cultural factors (26.6%) were largely responsible for the observed LULC changes in the study area. Consequently, change in forest cover and land use, land cover were affected different livelihood strategies of the communities like; human resources, forest production, crop and livestock production, financial and their social capital resources. Thus, collaborative forest management arrangements with the local communities and improved law enforcement strategies were essential to ease the present human influence on the natural forest and enhance sustainable management.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11
Published in International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy ( Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2019 )
Page(s) 1-11
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Forest Covers Change, Drivers, Livelihood

References
[1] Houghton, R. A., 1994. The Worldwide Extent of Land-Use Change. Bioscience, 44 (5), pp. 305-313.
[2] Rudel, T. K., Coomes, O. T., Moran, E., Achard, F., Angelsen, A., Xu, J. and Lambin, E., 2005. Forest transitions: towards a global understanding of land use change. Global environmental change, 15 (1), pp. 23-31.
[3] FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), 2001. Global forest resources assessment (FRA 2000): main report, FAO for. Pap. 140, Rome
[4] FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), 2010. Global Forest Resources Assessment Main report Rome.
[5] Berhan, G., 2005. Effects of Human Activities on Forests of Dry land of Western Ethiopia. Dryland Biodiversity. Issue No 6.
[6] EFAP (Ethiopian Forestry Action Program), 1993. Ethiopian Forestry Action Program: The Challenge for Development, Vol II. Ministry of Natural Resources Development and Environmental Protection, Addis Ababa.
[7] Mohammed, H. Y., 2014. The Influence of Land Use and Cover Changes on the Pastoral Rangeland Systems of Southern Ethiopia: How Much Woody Cover is Enough?.
[8] Lambin, E. F., Geist, H. J. and Lepers, E., 2003. Dynamics of land-use and land-cover change in tropical regions. Annual review of environment and resources, 28(1), pp.205-241.
[9] Leh, M., Bajwa, S. and Chaubey, I., 2013. Impact of land use change on erosion risk: an integrated remote sensing, geographic information system and modeling methodology. Land Degradation & Development, 24 (5), pp.409-421.
[10] Daye, D. D. and Healey, J. R., 2015. Impacts of Land-Use Change on Sacred Forests at the Landscape Scale. Global Ecology and Conservation, 3, pp.349-358.
[11] FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), 2000. Watershed-L. The electronic workshop on land-water linkages in rural watersheds, Electronic workshop.
[12] Bewket, W., 2002. Land Cover Dynamics since the 1950s in Chemoga Watershed, Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. Mountain Research and Development, 22 (3), pp.263-269.
[13] Reid, R. S., Kruska, R. L., Muthui, N., Taye, A., Wotton, S., Wilson, C. J. and Mulatu, W., 2000. Land-use and land-cover dynamics in response to changes in climatic, biological and socio-political forces: the case of southwestern Ethiopia. Landscape Ecology, 15 (4), pp.339-355.
[14] Elias, M., Hensel, O., Richter, U., Hülsebusch, C., Kaufmann, B. and Wasonga, O., 2015. Land conversion dynamics in the Borana rangelands of Southern Ethiopia: an integrated assessment using remote sensing techniques and field survey data. Environments, 2(1), pp.1-31.
[15] Slingenberg, A., Braat, L., Van Der Windt, H., Rademaekers, K., Eichler, L. and Turner, K., 2009. Study on understanding the causes of biodiversity loss and the policy assessment framework 1–206.Report to the European Commission Directorate-General for Environment, ECORYS Research and Consultation, the Netherlands.
[16] Campbell, D. J., Lusch, D. P., Smucker, T. A. and Wangui, E. E., 2003. Root Causes of Land Use Change in the Loitokitok Area, Kajiado District, Kenya.
[17] Garedew, E., Sandewall, M., Söderberg, U. and Campbell, B. M., 2009. Land-use and land-cover dynamics in the central rift valley of Ethiopia. Environmental management, 44 (4), pp.683-694.
[18] Mesele S, Gebrekidan H, Gizachew L, Coppock DL (2006). Changes in land cover and soil conditions for the Yabello District of the Borana Plateau, 1973-2003. Research Brief 06-06-PARIMA. Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program. University of California, Davis. 4 pp.
[19] Daniel, J., 2010. Effects of Bush Encroachment and Its Impacts on Selected Soil properties in Borana Rangeland, Ethiopia, M.Sc. Thesis, Hawasa University, WGCF & NR.
[20] Coppock, D. L., 1994. The Borana Plateau of Southern Ethiopia: Synthesis of Pastoral Research, Development and Changes, 1980-91 (No. 5). International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, p. 374.
[21] Zeleke, A. A., 2009. Bush Encroachment and Its Impacts on Plant Biodiversity in the Borana Rangeland.
[22] Angassa, A. and Oba, G., 2008. Effects of Management and Time on Mechanisms of Bush Encroachment in Southern Ethiopia. African Journal of Ecology, 46 (2), pp.186-196.
[23] Tamene, Y., 1990. Population dynamics of the problem shrubs, Acacia dropanolobium and Acacia brevispica in the southern rangelands of Ethiopia. Master's Thesis, Univ. of New South Wales. 237p.
[24] Central Statistical Agency 2013. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Population Projection of Ethiopia for All Regions at Woreda Level from 2014 – 2017. Addis Ababa.
[25] Central Statistical Agency 2016. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Agricultural Sample Survey 2015/16 [2008 E.C.] Volume Ii. Report On Livestock and Livestock Characteristics (Private Peasant Holdings).
[26] Kothari, C. R., 2004. Research methodology: Methods and techniques. Second edition.
[27] Solomon, M. M., 2016. Effect of Land Use Land Cover Changes on the Forest Resources of Ethiopia. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 51-57.
[28] Helmut J. Geist & Eric F. Lambin 2001. Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LUCC) Project IV. International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) V. International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) VI. Title VII. Collection: LUCC Report Series; 4.
[29] WBISPP, 2004. Woody Biomass Inventory and Strategic Planning Project. Forest Resources of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[30] Walle, T., Rangsipaht, S. and Chanprasert, W., 2011. Natural resource conservation practices of resettlers in the new resettlement areas of Amhara region, Ethiopia. Kasetsart Journal Social Science, 32, pp.297-307.
[31] Sanara, Izuru, S., Narumasa, T., Tsugihiro, W., and Shintaro, K., 2014. Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan 2Tottori University of Environmental Studies, Tottori, Japan: The Impact of Agricultural Expansion on Forest Cover in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia.
[32] Assefa, E. and Bork, H. R., 2014. Deforestation and Forest Management in Southern Ethiopia: Investigations in the Chencha and Arbaminch Areas. Environmental Management, 53 (2), pp.284-299.
[33] Mather, A. S., 1991. Global Forest Resources. International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun.
[34] Sands, R. 2005. Forestry in a Global Context. CABI Publishing.
[35] Geist, H. J. and Lambin, E. F., 2002. Proximate Causes and Underlying Driving Forces of Tropical Deforestation. Bioscience, 52 (2), pp.143-150.
[36] Moges, Y., Eshetu, Z., & Nune, S., 2010. Ethiopian forest resources: Current status and future management options in view of access to carbon finances. Ethiopian Climate Research and Networking and the United Nations Development Programme, Addis Ababa. pp 30-31.
[37] Belay, S., Amsalu, A. and Abebe, E., 2014. Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Awash National Park, Ethiopia: Impact of Decentralization on the Use and Management of Resources. Open Journal of Ecology, 4 (15), p.950-960.
[38] Jacobs, M. J. and Schroeder, A. (1997) Awash National Park Management Plan: 1993-1997. EWCO, Addis Ababa.
[39] Oxfam, 2011. Briefing on the Horn of Africa Drought: Climate change and future impacts on food security. Oxfam Policy and Practice: Agriculture, Food and Land, 11 (7), pp.57-62.
[40] CARE 2009: Climate‐related vulnerability and adaptive‐capacity in Ethiopia’s Borana and Somali communities. Final assessment report August, 2009.
[41] Bashir, M., 2012. The Impact of Land-use change on the Livelihoods of Rural Communities: A case-study in Edd Al-Fursan Locality, South Darfur, Sudan.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Sisay Taye Gifawesen. (2019). Assessment of the Key Drivers of Forest Cover Change and Its Associated Livelihood Impacts in Yabello District, Borana Zone, Ethiopia. International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy, 8(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Sisay Taye Gifawesen. Assessment of the Key Drivers of Forest Cover Change and Its Associated Livelihood Impacts in Yabello District, Borana Zone, Ethiopia. Int. J. Sustain. Green Energy 2019, 8(1), 1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Sisay Taye Gifawesen. Assessment of the Key Drivers of Forest Cover Change and Its Associated Livelihood Impacts in Yabello District, Borana Zone, Ethiopia. Int J Sustain Green Energy. 2019;8(1):1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11,
      author = {Sisay Taye Gifawesen},
      title = {Assessment of the Key Drivers of Forest Cover Change and Its Associated Livelihood Impacts in Yabello District, Borana Zone, Ethiopia},
      journal = {International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy},
      volume = {8},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-11},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijrse.20190801.11},
      abstract = {Land-use/land-cover change is a significant cause, or forcing function of global change and the medium through which many human responses to global change will occur. Analyzing the key drivers of forest and land use land cover change (LULC) is an effective way of assessing the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes in ecosystem function. A study was conducted to assess the key drivers of forest cover change and land use land cover change (LULCC) and its associated impacts on the livelihoods of the study area. About 128 respondents were interviewed to assess possible causes of the forest cover change and LULCC. The result of survey assessment indicated that recurrent drought (100%), wood extraction (100%), increased in human population size (99.2%), infrastructural expansion (settlement expansion and road construction) (81.3%), policy and institutional factors (70.3%), economic factors (64.9) and expansion of cultivation (32.1%) and social-cultural factors (26.6%) were largely responsible for the observed LULC changes in the study area. Consequently, change in forest cover and land use, land cover were affected different livelihood strategies of the communities like; human resources, forest production, crop and livestock production, financial and their social capital resources. Thus, collaborative forest management arrangements with the local communities and improved law enforcement strategies were essential to ease the present human influence on the natural forest and enhance sustainable management.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Assessment of the Key Drivers of Forest Cover Change and Its Associated Livelihood Impacts in Yabello District, Borana Zone, Ethiopia
    AU  - Sisay Taye Gifawesen
    Y1  - 2019/02/25
    PY  - 2019
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11
    T2  - International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy
    JF  - International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy
    JO  - International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy
    SP  - 1
    EP  - 11
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1549
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijrse.20190801.11
    AB  - Land-use/land-cover change is a significant cause, or forcing function of global change and the medium through which many human responses to global change will occur. Analyzing the key drivers of forest and land use land cover change (LULC) is an effective way of assessing the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes in ecosystem function. A study was conducted to assess the key drivers of forest cover change and land use land cover change (LULCC) and its associated impacts on the livelihoods of the study area. About 128 respondents were interviewed to assess possible causes of the forest cover change and LULCC. The result of survey assessment indicated that recurrent drought (100%), wood extraction (100%), increased in human population size (99.2%), infrastructural expansion (settlement expansion and road construction) (81.3%), policy and institutional factors (70.3%), economic factors (64.9) and expansion of cultivation (32.1%) and social-cultural factors (26.6%) were largely responsible for the observed LULC changes in the study area. Consequently, change in forest cover and land use, land cover were affected different livelihood strategies of the communities like; human resources, forest production, crop and livestock production, financial and their social capital resources. Thus, collaborative forest management arrangements with the local communities and improved law enforcement strategies were essential to ease the present human influence on the natural forest and enhance sustainable management.
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Agroforestry, Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Yabello Pastoral and Dry Land Agriculture Research Center, Yabello, Ethiopia

  • Section