12 Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management in the Highlands of Ethiopia Hans Hurni1, Solomon Abate2, Amare Bantider3, Berhanu Debele4, Eva Ludi5, Brigitte Portner6, Birru Yitaferu7, and Gete Zeleke8 Abstract The Ethiopian Highlands cover over 50% of the country and are home to more than 90% of Ethiopia’s population of over 80 million people (estimate for 2010); 60% of the livestock and 90% of the area suited for agriculture are also located here. Although more than 90% of the Highlands was once forested, today a mere 20% of this area is covered by trees, and the percent- age of forest cover is less than 4%. This is evidence of a high incidence of degradation of vegetation in the past, which has continued to the present. Land-use and land-cover changes have been particularly dynamic in the 20th century, during which climate change also began to have effects; wildlife in natural habitats have been restricted to those few areas that were preserved naturally due to rugged topography or natural aridity. Soil erosion has been severe throughout the Highlands, but mainly on agricultural land; the cur- rent severity and extent of soil degradation seriously threaten food security. In response, a number of soil and water conservation measures have been successfully implemented over the past 35 years in some parts of the High- lands. This is highly encouraging, but greater emphasis must be given to conservation in the coming decades. Keywords: Ethiopian Highlands; research partnership; land degradation; land-cover change; sustainable land management; soil and water conserva- tion; protected area management. 187 North-South Global Change and Sustainable Development perspectives 12.1 Introduction 12.1.1 The Ethiopian Highlands ! " #$ $ % $ $ & '( ( ## ($ $ ( ' ( () * &$ $ $ +) ), $ #- ..'/ & $ $ $ $ &$ $ $ .+ $ # # & $ # $ - )/ $ $ # $ $ & $ $ $ -0)'/ ! )+ ', 2 ++ - 345)2/ # 6 ( ( #) . # 2 )+- /( $ # 7 " # $ 6 $ & ($ $ $ $# " $ 7 $& # ( $ $ $$( $ $ ## - ../ 4 $ $ # ( $ $ 4 $ $ & $ # $ $ $ ( ( $ $ ( $ # $ #( ( # 3 188 Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management, Ethiopian Highlands $ ( #( $ # $ $ # # .+)M.+($( & $$ # $ $ 12.1.2 Key issues in land degradation and sustainable land management 5$$ 9 $ #5 -95)/ Q R $ ( $ ( ( $ # < $ $ $ $# $ & $ $ $ # # $ ( $#$ 4 $ $ $ # $ $# $ $ $ $ # $ = 5 $ $ $ & $-> ? ..6 )2/6 - / # $ 6 & $ # $- <)/6 & ( $ & & $ #& $-5 %@ )/6 ) A & ( ( $ $ $ #-?& # 4$ ))6B# ) /6 ! # $ $ $ & $ $$- ../ $#-C ( 5 ..6% 0 ) )/ $$ (- 04.'2/ 3 $ $ # ( & $ & 189 North-South Global Change and Sustainable Development perspectives ( $ $ ( # $ # D $ & $ 12.1.3 Research partnership approaches 0 $ $ &$ ( #4 3 & 0 $A -430A/ .' $ @ $ ($ #& ( $ $ - .')6430A)/ A & # ! )4(B 3 3 $ 0 $-B330/B &4 $ # $ -C $ 5 )/ & A% 9 R $& # $ # $ $ $ & $ ( $ $ B330B &4 12.2 Status and dynamics of land cover, land use and land degradation 12.2.1 Deforestation and forest dynamics 9 $ # ,$ # $ - .'+6% # )6B# )/ &$ ( $ $ )M $$ $ $ -E )/ $ - .'+/6( ( $$ # #$ -0)/ # M., $ -7/ E#$ & #.M,$ " ($ # ( # $ $ # $.-4 5 ..6*F)/ % ( ( # (# $ $ $ 5 $ $ $ ( $ )$ # # M $ (# $ ( $ & 190 Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management, Ethiopian Highlands Tree cover of Ethiopia in 2001 Legend Tree cover in percent per 500 x 500m pixel for 2001 (in brackets: Area covered by class and in percentage of total country area) 2 Mekele 0 - 3 = single trees in landscape (498,509km; 43.5%) !( 2 3 - 8 = scattered trees in landscape (138,909km; 12.1%) 2 8 - 19 = savannah-type landscape (232,356km; 20.3%) Gonder 2 !( 19 - 40 = open woodland (181,507km ; 15.8%) 2 40 - 70 = woodland (69,449km ; 6.1%) Debre Tabor Weldiya 2 !( 70 - 100 = forest land (17,665km ; 1.5%) Bahr Dar !( 2 !( Lakes and river water bodies (8,012km ; 0.7%) Dese !( !( Main towns Debre Markos !( Debre Birhan !( Dire Dawa !( Nekemte !( Addis Abeba !( Weliso Nazret !( !( Gambela !( Ziway !( Jimma !( Asela !( Awassa Selka Mizan Teferi !( !( !( Arba Minch Jinka !( !( Negele !( Disclaimer This map was composed using MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields data available at the Global Land Cover Facility (for mor information see: 075 150 300 http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/index.shtml). Centre for Development and Environment, km Institute of Geography, University of Bern. Fig. 1 Tree and forest $ % $$ # $ cover in Ethiopia in ( # $ & 2001 as modified by agricultural $ $ $ # activities during ($( $ 6 about 5000 years. ( # $$ # (Map composed by Kaspar Hurni; to be published in 12.2.2 Land-use and land-cover changes Hurni et al, in preparation) > B330B &4 EC -)+/4$ -)2/5 E -)+/ -)/ 4 5-)/ & &$ $ ( # $ 5 ## $#$ &$ # ( # ! $ $ $ $ $($ $ .+.. #)-5 E )+/ 191 North-South Global Change and Sustainable Development perspectives Fig. 2 Intensive land- cover and land-use changes around the Anjeni Soil Conservation Research Pro- gramme (SCRP) Research Site in Gojam mainly occurred between 1950 and 1980 according to Gete Zeleke (2000). (Photo by Hans Hurni, 1984) % )$ # ( ( $ ( ( ', ,-7)/ A $ $$ ( ($ ( $ $ $ $& $ G $ ( $$ # $ $ .' $ $)( $ ( $ $ $( $ # # -B# )./ 192 Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management, Ethiopian Highlands 12.2.3 Wildlife dynamics # $ $# (($ $ # $$ ( $ & ( ($ $ $ # ( ( $ $ $ G # (( $ $ & & ( >& ( $ ( ( $ 4 9 E 9 ($ 0 $( B330 B &4 $ 4 9 -* )6 )6E$)264$)26<)+/( ( $ # 12.2.4 Soil degradation due to water erosion ! $ & #6 & $ # # $& $ D $ $ $ $ & -7/ 4 $ ( #4 3 0 $A -430A/ & $ ( .'- .')/ < & & # ( $ ( $ # -H H#/ H H#-430A)/ ! #H H# ( $ ($( $ # - ../ $ $# $ $ ( ( # $ $ ( -E # ../ ! ( @ $ $ ( ( #( ( E & -? )+/ $ & $ $ #$ $ 193 North-South Global Change and Sustainable Development perspectives Fig. 3 Ploughing a steep slope at the Andit Tid Soil Conserva- tion Research Pro- gramme (SCRP) Research Site in Northern Shewa has led to extreme soil degradation, as the area has been agriculturally used for over 600 years. 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