22 research outputs found
Stocking Rates and Carrying Capacity of Grazing Lands in Bale Mountain National Park and Adjacent Areas, Southeast Ethiopia
Get PDFKnowledge of grazing land carrying capacity and grazing pressure in and around protected areas is very crucial to support decision making over sustainable grazing levels and developing grazing pressure reduction strategies. However, there was lack of studies conducted on livestock carrying capacity and grazing pressure in the connected and dynamic system over a wider landscape scale. Hence, this study was conducted to estimate the livestock stocking rates and carrying capacity of grazing lands in Bale Mountain National Park (BMNP) and adjacent districts grazing lands, southeast Ethiopia. Three categories of data: Field surveys, satellite imagery, and socioeconomic secondary data were used. Each of the three components of the data ware designed to synergistically provide scientific evidence to meet the study objectives. The result of the study shows the mean livestock stocking rate of grazing lands during wet and dry seasons in the park were 1.01 TLU/ha and 0.47 TLU/ha respectively. The mean livestock stocking rate of park adjacent district grazing lands during wet and dry season were 12.01 TLU/ha and 14.25 TLU/ha respectively. The mean carrying capacity of grazing land in the park during wet and dry seasons were 67.88 TLU Km2 (0.68TLU/ha) and 28.71 TLU Km2 (0.29 TLU/ha), respectively. The result shows the mean carrying capacity of park adjacent district grazing land during wet and dry seasons were 51.22 TLU Km2 (0.51TLU/ha) and 13.11 TLU Km2 (0.13 TLU/ha), respectively. Thus, the existing stocking rate is higher than the carrying capacity . Thus, it clearly signals the risk of overgrazing in the afroalpine habitat considering the herbivores wildlife in the study areas. In view of such a situation, measures have been suggested to reduce livestock population in order to protect the biodiversity and ecosystem services that BMNP and the buffer zone provides
Comparison of Avifaunal Assemblage and their Association with Plant Cover in Protected and Unprotected Montane Grassland Ecosystems in Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
No full textDiurnal time-activity budget and habitat use of Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus in Boyo Wetland and Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Get PDFThe diurnal time-activity budget and habitat use of the Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus were studied at Boyo Wetland and Bale Mountains National Park. The study was carried out in four habitats (agricultural land, grassy field, mudflat, and shallow wetland) at Boyo Wetland and two habitats (grassland and swampy habitat) in the Bale Mountains. Instantaneous scan sampling was used to collect the daily activity time budget, scanning each individual in turn and categorizing its behaviour in six behavioural states. We made observations from 06:00 to 18:00 from October through June 2014/2016 and 2016/2017. We performed ANOVA and T-test to look at how diurnal activity pattern differed among habitat types and time periods of the day. Foraging was most prevalent, accounting for 39 % of the time budget followed by locomotion (20 %) and vigilance (16 %) and social behaviour (2 %). The time spent on various activity patterns across habitats and between seasons were significantly different (p < 0.05). Across habitats, the daily pattern for foraging and locomotion showed two peaks, in the agricultural habitat and grassland habitats, whereas percent time devoted to vigilance, resting and comfort movement followed an inverse pattern, peaking at mudflats and shallow wetland. The Wattled Crane spends more time feeding on farmland than in the wetland. This could create conflict with farmers and threaten the Wattled Crane. Therefore, urgent actions are needed to restore the degraded wetlands.
Keywords: Bale Mountains, Boyo Wetland, time-activity budget, foraging, Wattled Cran
Comparison of Avifaunal Assemblage and their Association with Plant Cover in Protected and Unprotected Montane Grassland Ecosystems in Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Get PDFStudy on the comparison of avifaunal assemblage in the protected and unprotected montane grassland ecosystems of the Bale Mountains National Park was conducted during the wet and dry seasons of 2011–12. Sampling sites based on disturbance were randomly identified and a transect line of one or less than one km was taken. Unprotected habitats had high species richness and diversity during both seasons. However, during the wet season, although the protected habitat had low species richness, it had high species diversity. The abundance of birds between habitats showed significant difference (Χ2= 360.06, df= 1 and P < 0.001) during both seasons. During the wet season, avian species richness was negatively correlated with grass height (r= -0.836). The difference in birds’ community between the two land use types is likely due to the difference in vegetation structural components. This, in turn, might be due to differences in the level of human-induced factors in the sites, which is higher in unprotected area and of habitat structural diversity (both horizontal and vertical). Future research should focus on comparing guilds (e.g., habitat, feeding and substrate use guilds) in order to better understand the effect of disturbance on birds in the area
Examining Heat Treatment Effects on Transformation of Iron Oxides and Crystallinity phase identification Dataset from Recovered Iron Hydroxide Electro-coagulated Sludge
No full textIron hydroxide Electro-coagulated sludge from the electrochemical processes of textile wastewater treatment plant have recovered and oxidative transformed iron oxides production with heat treatment were produced. Because hematite and magnetite iron oxides can be produce from iron hydroxide, electro-coagulated sludge as iron hydroxide rich sludge can be used iron oxides source for different application. Such as for catalyst, medical and commercial applications. Heat treatment of iron hydroxide with a certain temperature range will have an effect for magnetic nature iron oxides formation. Thus, EC sludge as iron hydroxide were used crystalliniry nature as well as phase identification. To this experiment, the author intends to use four critical temperature values as a base to examine the phase change by producing different iron oxides (α-Fe2O3, Fe3O4…). X-ray diffraction study using XRD machine as well as comparative examination with standard references, the international central diffraction data (ICDD) were investigated. The heat treatment from 300 oC to 800 oC have confirm us the iron oxide formation and at high temperature the patterns become more crystal formation
Utilizations of Electro-coagulated Sludge from Wastewater Treatment Plant data as an Adsorbent for Direct Red 28 Dye removal
No full textElectro-coagulated, EC, sludge from the electrochemical processes of textile wastewater treatment plant can be reuse as an adsorbent for a certain cationic and anionic azo dyes from textile and or leather industry effluents. Because EC sludge expected to have iron oxide and hydroxide during the electrochemical processes of wastewater treatment, it can be used for adsorptions for azo dye removal. Produced EC sludge can have positively charged surface, specially ferric and or ferrous surface charge. Thus, EC sludge as an adsorbent will have adsorption potential to adsorb acidic (anionic) dyes in the principles of electrostatic attraction. To this study, the author intends to use direct red 28 (DR28) dyes as a modal azo dye from the textile and or leather industry. Basic batch adsorption parameters (effect of dye concentration, solution pH, reaction temperature, mixing time and adsorbent dosage), as well as adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics study on to raw and calcined EC sludge were investigated. DR28 dye on to calcined EC adsorbent has recorded as highly removal efficiency at pH of 2, initial dye concentration of 20mg/L, time of 60 min, adsorbent dosage 1g/100mL and temperature of 25±2℃, ambient temperature
XRD analysis of recovered iron materials from electro-coagulated sludge
No full textIron hydroxide Electro-coagulated sludge from the electrochemical processes of textile wastewater treatment plant has recovered and oxidative transformed iron oxides production with heat treatment was produced. Because hematite and magnetite iron oxides can be produce from iron hydroxide, electro-coagulated sludge as iron hydroxide and oxy-hydroxide rich sludge can be used iron oxides source for different applications. Such as for catalyst, medical and commercial applications. Heat treatment of iron hydroxide with a certain temperature range will have an effect on magnetic nature iron oxides formation. Thus, EC sludge as iron hydroxide was used crystallinity nature as well as phase identification. To this experiment, the author intends to use four critical temperature values as a base to examine the phase change by producing different iron oxides (α-Fe2O3, Fe3O4…). X-ray diffraction study using the XRD machine as well as comparative examination with standard references, the international central diffraction data (ICDD) were investigated. The heat treatment from 300 oC to 800 oC have confirmed us the iron oxide formation and at high temperature, the patterns become more crystal formation
Barter in practice: a case study of liwac transaction in Addis Ababa
No full textThe author examines the contemporary liwac or barter system in Addis Ababa, a thriving part of the informal economy which involves the exchange of household goods for second-hand clothes and shoes. He concludes that this form of transaction positively co-exists with and is not superseded by the monetised economy.This article is hosted by our co-publisher Taylor & Francis.</p
Perception of local communities on protected areas: lessons drawn from the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
No full textABSTRACTA study targeting the Bale Mountains National Park in Ethiopia was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of local communities’ opinion on benefits and disbenefits of protected areas and existing benefit-sharing mechanisms and to suggest future research for development direction related to the management of protected areas. Household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were tools used to collect data. The results obtained through the analysis of the factors affecting the attitude of local communities on the park and its management demonstrated that efforts should be concentrated on improving communication with local communities and short-term economic benefits as well as identifying the reasons for the unhealthy relationships and addressing them. These issues can partly be addressed through creating and supporting effective and functioning multi-stakeholder platforms for dialogue and co-production of knowledge, continuous meetings and awareness-raising campaigns and integrating more income-generating activities. The results also suggested that park management and government authorities use their authority to decide how local communities should participate in Bale Mountains National Park management initiatives. Such a top-down approach affects the sustainability of the efforts to conserve protected areas because local stakeholders lack incentives to participate. This also leads to inadequate understanding of the complex relationships between people and protected areas they depend on and the inability to tailor management responses to specific needs and conditions. The study discussed the implications of the results for future planning and management of protected areas and forwarded recommendations for policy and future research for development directions
Book reviews: Robert Guest (2004) “The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption, and African Lives”
Get PDFOver the past two decades, extreme poverty has been decreasing in all regions of the world except for sub-Saharan Africa. This attracted the attention of many scholars and policymakers from Africa and other continents of the world to study and understand the reason why Africa has remained so poor. As a result, many scholars have advanced many reasons for poverty and underdevelopment on the continent. However, no consensus is reached among scholars for poverty and underdevelopment of Africa. 'The shackled continent' is one of the books that has attempted to explain the reasons why Africa has remained so poor. The main of this paper was to critically review the book. The shackled continent has critically analyzed and identified many hobbles that have affected the development process in Africa. In this regard, the author assumption is that Africa has remained so poor as a result of several factors which includes failures of leadership, tribal politics, bad governance, impacts of AIDs, resource curse, lack of transparent property rights, ethnic strife, corruption, frequent military coups, and development assistance failures. Guest admits that these reasons to some extent contribute to the Africans' development challenges. However, arguably failures of leadership are the main reason for underdevelopment in Africa. The author argues that global capitalism is merely a solution to Africa's problems. This book has many strengths as well as weaknesses
