8 research outputs found
Detecting trends in landuse and landcover change of Nech Sar National Park, Ethiopia
No full textNech Sar National Park (NSNP) is one of the most important biodiversity centers in Ethiopia. In recent years, a widespread decline of the terrestrial ecosystems has been reported, yet to date there is no comprehensive assessment on degradation across the park. In this study, changes in landcover were analyzed using 30 m spatial resolution Landsat imagery. Interannual variations of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were examined and compared with climatic variables. The result presented seven landcover classes and five of the seven landcover classes (forest, bush/shrubland, wooded grassland, woodland and grassland) were related to natural vegetation and two landcover types (cultivated land and area under encroaching plants) were direct results of anthropogenic alterations of the landscape. The forest, grassland, and wooded grassland are the most threatened habitat types. A considerable area of the grassland has been replaced by encroaching plants, prominently by Dichrostachys cinerea, Acacia mellifera, A. nilotica, A. oerfota, and A. seyal and is greatly affected by expansion of herbaceous plants, most commonly the species of the family Malvaceae which include Abutilon anglosomaliae, A.bidentatum and A.figarianu. Thus, changes in vegetation of NSNP may be attributed to (i) degradation of existing vegetation through deforestation and (ii) replacement of existing vegetation by encroaching plants. While limited in local meteorological station, NDVI analysis indicated that climate related changes did not have major effects on park vegetation degradation, which suggests anthropogenic impacts as a major driver of observed disturbance
The nexus of urban agriculture and health resilience: Insights from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
No full textAbstract Urban agriculture (UA) is useful in improving the health conditions of farmers and urban residents. The study aimed to investigate what and how UA contributes to the improvement of the health of residents engaged in UA in Addis Ababa. A sample size of 180 residents engaged in UA in Addis Ababa was selected based on the standard sample‐taking procedure for interviews. Collected data were entered into the SPSS software (version 2021) and then analyzed using analysis of variance. Results revealed that 89% of the respondents were convinced that their engagements in UA helped them in improving the health of their own and that of family members. UA in Addis Ababa is found to have the role of increasing farmers’ accessibility to healthy and fresh food; availing more food for consumption; increasing physical activity relevant to farm works; improving sanitation at personal, domestic, and environmental levels; and enhancing social capital. Pearson correlation analyses indicated that improved health condition has a statistically significant positive correlation with increased access to healthy and fresh food, increased consumption of diverse food, and improved social capital at α = 0.05 level (two‐tailed). UA in Addis Ababa enhanced the overall health conditions of 89% of the farmers and their families engaged in the practices. Bringing more lands under UA helps realize the endeavor of building a health‐resilient resident in addition to using UA as a tool for restoring the deteriorating social fabric in Ethiopia
Assessing economic sustainability and resilience of tomato farming ventures in Addis Ababa: A project-based evaluation
No full textThis study assessed the economic sustainability and contribution of tomato farming ventures to Addis Ababa's resilience. Using a project-based evaluation method, the profitability of tomato production was analyzed with and without the cost of water. The results showed that including the cost of water, the venture had a negative net present value (NPV) of 30100 USD/hectare/annum, an internal rate of return (IRR) of 0.2%, a payback period (PBP) of over ten years, and a cost-benefit ratio (CBR) of 0.83. However, without the cost of water, the venture showed a subtle profit, with an NPV of 15100 USD/hectare/annum, an IRR of 21%, a PBP of 2.9 years, and a CBR of 1.02. Sensitivity analysis revealed that an increase in sales price and yield positively affected profitability, while an increase in operating cost had a negative effect. The study concluded that when water costs are considered, the tomato venture in Addis Ababa is not profitable or sustainable, and does not contribute to the city's resilience. However, without water cost accounting, the venture's contribution to the city's resilience is minimal. The study recommends policy interventions to enhance farmers' access to the market, establish agro-industries, and improve their bargaining power
Diversity of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and their source species in Menagesha Suba Forest
No full textThe objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and their source species in Menagesha Suba Forest. Data were collected and analyzed from 57 and 285 circular main plots of 400 m2 and sub-plots of 1 m2 areas, respectively. Information on the types of NTFPs extracted from the forest was obtained from a socio-economic survey that involved 123 randomly selected households from six Peasant Associations (PAs) nearby the forest. A total of 142 plant species belonging to 56 families were recorded in the forest, and 59 of them were identified to offer NTFPs of one type or another. Nine different types of NTFPs are extracted today from the forest and these include traditional medicine, household utensil, honey and bees-wax, fuelwood, farm implement, animal fodder, edible forest products, smoke wood, and flavoring and spices. The diversity, density and relative abundance of NTFPs’ bearing plants varied depending on the type of NTFP under consideration. In conclusion, Menagesha Suba Forest hosts rich diversity of plant species that offer diverse NTFPs. This richness with NTFPs resource can be used as an opportunity to device alternative strategy for the sustainable management of the forest by involving and allowing the local community to utilize the NTFPs resources rather than for destructive uses like timber harvest or conversion to other forms of land use. The incentive from NTFPs utilization could contribute to sustainable livelihoods of the local communities, which if realized, can win their interest for better conservation and development of the Forest. Keywords/phrases: Diversity, Density, Forest conservation, NTFPs, Menagesha SubaEthiop. J. Biol. Sci., 9(1): 11-34, 201
Users' preferences and perceptions towards urban green spaces in rapidly urbanized cities: The case of Debre Berhan and Debre Markos, Ethiopia
No full textUrban green spaces are essential elements of cities that play an important role in urban sustainability and human health. This study analyzed the users' preferences and perceptions towards urban green spaces. A total of five parks were purposively selected from Debre Berhan and Debre Markos cities. A questionnaire survey was administered to 350 park users in both cities. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and the independence of variables was tested using a chi-square test using IBM SPSS 20. The chi2 test shows that visits' purpose depended on the users' age, gender, and education level (P < 0.05). 26.1% and 13.8% of the users visit the parks “always” to chill with friends and to enjoy nature, respectively. The existence of fences, safety and security, and spaciousness of the park were the major encouraging factors, with the average Likert value of 3.04, 3.01, and 2.72, respectively. Alcoholic drinks and chewing Khat (stimulant green leafy plant) within the parks, lack of comfortable sitting areas, absence of safety and security, and improper park management were the main discouraging factors. There was a very strong statistical association between perceptions of users to the benefits of green spaces and occupation (χ2 (95, N = 350) = 158.908, p < 0.001), age (χ2 (76, N = 350) = 175.135, p < 0.001), gender (χ2 (19, N = 350) = 68.226, p < 0.001), and education level (χ2 (114, N = 350) = 240.798, p < 0.001). The “highly” perceived benefits of green spaces were recreational, aesthetic, and pollution protection. 50% of the respondents “never” participated in any green space development activities. Therefore, rapidly urbanized cities in Africa and Asia could take a lesson from this study about the importance of incorporating citizens' preferences for green spaces and public participation in urban green space development and management
Rethinking urban planning from the perspective of nature‑based stormwater runoff management in Ethiopia
No full textA considerable area of land has been turned into a built surface in Ethiopia. Flooding is one of the destructive consequences of such land conversion in the urban centers of the country. Thus, this research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of urban green infrastructures to alleviate the impacts of runoff in the urbanized part of Hawassa City, Ethiopia. The i-Tree Eco model with pre-stratified random sampling techniques was employed to analyze the hydrological benefits of green infrastructure by considering the vegetation structure and land surface cover variables. Also, the spatial map that shows annually avoided runoff was created using the spatial interpolation method in the ArcGIS software. The outcome of the model-based analysis shows that 576,224 trees were recorded, which contributes to cover 20.7% of the city’s total area. These trees intercepted 137,632.8 m3 year−1 rainwater and avoided 288,372 m3 year−1 runoff, economically valued at $ 680,558/year. However, the existing green infrastructures of the city had different performances in terms of water interception and runoff reduction efficiency, according to the morpho-functional characteristics of trees. Those green infrastructures with large trees, high leaf areas, and a high number of broadleaved trees were more efficient. Runoff reduction efficiency of the city could be maximized through the incorporation of adequate green infrastructure coverage at the urban planning stage and proper execution of structural plans. Hence, this research is expected to help planners and policymakers rethink the integration of green infrastructure in the spatial planning of cities and towns in Ethiopia.Addis Ababa UniversityHawassa UniversityDepto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu
The deprivations and inequalities based on settlement typologies and urban form: the case of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
No full textInformal settlement is the physical expression of inequalities and deprivations, as it indicates the failure of housing policy and the resultant gaps in living conditions. Based on the aforementioned grounds, the purpose of the paper is to analyze the physical extent and proportion of populations living in formal and informal settlements in Addis Ababa from 2011 to 2022. The study differentiated informal and formal settlement areas in Addis Ababa based on the slum ontology concept at the settlement level, a literature review, local contexts, and ground verification. Based on the morphology of formal and informal settlement areas in Addis Ababa, the study estimated the proportion of the population living in informal settlements for 2010 and 2020. The 2010 and 2020 informal settlement populations were extracted based on the 100-meter gridded spatial population data obtained from WorldPop. The study used the 2011 aerial photograph and the 2022 Google Earth image for interpretations and differentiations of formal and informal settlements. Then, the research analyzed the spatial extent, population level, and trends of formal and informal settlements. The major findings of the study indicated that informal areas constituted 61% and 59% of the residential land use in 2011 and 2022, respectively. In the intervening period (from 2011 to 2022), the informal and formal settlements of Addis Ababa have grown annually by 2.92% and 4.98%, respectively. In 2010, 67.9% of the population in Addis Ababa lived in informal settlements, while the population living in informal settlements was 53.8% in 2020. The deprivation areas versus population size study indicated the divided city pattern of urban inequality revealed by the concentration of a large deprived population in the inner-city slums and peri-urban areas. The findings also indicated appropriate area-based policy and planning interventions to reach large populations disproportionally deprived to bridge the gap in urban inequality
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Detecting Trends in Landuse and Landcover Change of Nech Sar National Park, Ethiopia
No full textNech Sar National Park (NSNP) is one of the most important biodiversity centers in Ethiopia. In recent years, a widespread decline of the terrestrial ecosystems has been reported, yet to date there is no comprehensive assessment on degradation across the park. In this study, changes in landcover were analyzed using 30 m spatial resolution Landsat imagery. Interannual variations of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were examined and compared with climatic variables. The result presented seven landcover classes and five of the seven landcover classes (forest, bush/shrubland, wooded grassland, woodland and grassland) were related to natural vegetation and two landcover types (cultivated land and area under encroaching plants) were direct results of anthropogenic alterations of the landscape. The forest, grassland, and wooded grassland are the most threatened habitat types. A considerable area of the grassland has been replaced by encroaching plants, prominently by Dichrostachys cinerea, Acacia mellifera, A. nilotica, A. oerfota, and A. seyal and is greatly affected by expansion of herbaceous plants, most commonly the species of the family Malvaceae which include Abutilon anglosomaliae, A.bidentatum and A.figarianu. Thus, changes in vegetation of NSNP may be attributed to (i) degradation of existing vegetation through deforestation and (ii) replacement of existing vegetation by encroaching plants. While limited in local meteorological station, NDVI analysis indicated that climate related changes did not have major effects on park vegetation degradation, which suggests anthropogenic impacts as a major driver of observed disturbances.Keywords: Landsat, Degradation, NDVI, Nech Sar, Landcover, Terrestria
