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RURAL POVERTY AND INEQUALITY IN THE AMHARA REGION OF ETHIOPIA: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
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Understanding tempo‐spatial dynamics of land‐use/cover (LULC) and its drivers is instrumental in synthesizing knowledge for informed natural resource management planning and associated decisions. The present study investigates tempo‐spatial LULC changes, their drivers and the associated impacts in three sub‐basins (Zeway, Ketar and Bulbula) in the Central Rift Valley (CRV) of Ethiopia. Satellite imageries of different periods in ArcGIS, field observations, focus group discussions (FGDs) and secondary data were used to analyse the LULC dynamics, their drivers and associated impacts from 1973 to 2014. The overall accuracy of 1973, 2003 and 2014 classification maps was 88.7%, 88.9% and 91.6%, respectively. The analysis results revealed a continuous increase of farmland and town built‐up areas at the expense of grasslands, shrub‐bush land and woodlands. It further indicated area of open irrigated agriculture, increasing from none to 2.61% of the total area. The FGDs demonstrated agricultural land expansion, resettlement and wood extraction were proximate causes of the observed LULC changes. Population increases, changes in land tenure system and decreased farmland productivity were determined to be the underlying causes of the changes. The FGDs further indicated these changes have negatively affected the natural resources. The present study findings indicate the need to reconsider land‐use decision tradeoffs between economic, social and environmental demands, and their implications for other similar areas in Ethiopia and beyond. Quantitative analysis and periodic evaluation of the drivers of such change and the impacts of existing and emerging land‐uses in the face of changing climate is recommended to facilitate sustainable use of the fragile ecosystems in the Ethiopian CRV.
Wetlands are important sources of water for humans and livestock in the dry drought-prone northern Ethiopian highlands. Hydrological changes in these wetlands affect local populations and are indicators of change in the upstream catchments. In this paper, we present a case study of hydrological and land cover changes in Hara Swamp located southeast of Kobo in Amhara State, Ethiopia. An integrated approach used remote sensing images, limited hydrological measurements, climatic data, and a survey of residents to gain complementary insights into what changes have occurred, when and why they occurred, and the local perceptions of these changes. Aerial photos and satellite images from 1964, 1973, 1986, 2000, and 2001 indicated limited flooding and dense woody vegetation cover in the wetland 40 years ago and a trend towards the current condition of no living trees/bushes, extensive flooding, and heavy sedimentation. Rainfall records revealed no significant trends which could sufficiently explain the observed changes in the wetland. A simple water budget analysis based on hydrological measurements indicated higher wetland flood levels were a result of increasing runoff and sediment inflow from the surrounding watershed over time. Reasons for increasing amounts of runoff were higher population pressure on the land and creation of more impermeable surfaces including houses and road construction in the watershed. Local residents' perceptions of the wetland changes, which were collected first, validated the sparse biophysical data and provided supplementary details. An integrated watershed management strategy is required to reverse the recent trends and protect the wetland resources. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
