ABSTRACT:Urban green infrastructure provides multi-functional socio-economic and environmental benefits and promotes physical, relaxation, and the social activities of the urban residents. This paper analyses the pattern of utilization of urban green infrastructure in Southern Ethiopia. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, key informant interview and focus group discussion. The collected data also analysed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. The majority (78%) of the respondents visit green corridors in Hawassa. 68% of respondents visit parks in Wolayita Sodo, while, 62% of the respondents visited home garden in Bodity town. There is an overall significant (0.000) variation in the utilization of green infrastructures among urban centres. Based on Post-Hoc Test there is a statistically significant (p = 0.017) difference in the utilisation of green infrastructure in between Hawassa city and Wolayita Sodo as well as between Hawassa and Bodity town (p = 0.000), but there was no significant (p = 0.113) difference between Wolayita Sodo and Bodity town. Majority (34.6%, 31.6% and 32.4%) of respondents visit Lakeshore, Junior Park, and Bodity Stadium in Hawassa, Wolayita Sodo and Bodity town respectively. Green corridors in Hawassa, urban parks in Wolayita Sodo and Bodity Stadium in Bodity town was the most frequently visited GI types. Recreational, physical and social activities were the main reasons for visiting urban green infrastructure in the study area. The pattern of utilization of green infrastructure types varies significantly among the three urban centres. Urban planners, designers, and ecologists, therefore, need to focus on urban green infrastructure planning, strategies to promote the utilization of green infrastructure in the urban environment sustainably.

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Artisanal mining is associated with a number of environmental impacts, including deforestation and land degradation, open pits which pose animal traps and health hazards, and heavy metals contamination of land (water and soil), dust and noise pollution. The study examines the perception of environmental degradation of gold mining sites in eastern Cameroon. Human-environment interaction and distance decay models are the conceptual framework for this study. This study employed a survey research design through the use of primary data while a purposive sampling technique was utilized. A total of 440 questionnaires were administered to selected households across the localities in the study area. Frequencies, percentages, chart, cross tabulations and chi-square tests were used for the data analysis. In other to achieve the aim of this study, a comparison between the nearby and far away residents were done. The study revealed that mining exploitations have brought about changes in the colour and taste of water in the active mining sites (41.7%). Malaria is the number one type of disease that has caused more damage in the localities (81.6%). Mining activities have successfully enabled children in the active mining sites to abandoned school for mining (75.0%). Inhabitants of unit 1 directly linked the problems facing their economic activities to inadequate arable land for agriculture (33.8%) and inhabitants across the study area correlated the problems facing livestock farming to diseases as a result of mining activities (64.6%). The perceived negative effects of gold mining on different socioeconomic variables (such as culture, health, education, economy and livestock) vary significantly depending on the proximity from the mining areas (p<0.05). The study concludes that residents living within and far away from the active mining sites were affected by gold mining activities. However, the most worrisome situation concern people working and living within the active mining sites. Therefore, the study recommends that: companies that are involved in mining activities and the government should embark on development projects such as portable water, schools, hospitals, roads, markets, communications facilities in the affected communities.

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Policy monitoring and evaluation are important elements of the policy cycle, this help to initiate policy-makers to assess the proper implementation and adjust it as appropriate. This paper aims to evaluate the existing policy, strategies, and institutional arrangement on the development of urban green infrastructure in the three study areas; namely Hawassa, Wolayita Sodo, and Bodity town. Analyzing policy documents, key informant interview, and questionnaire survey were used to collect the required data. Descriptive statistics and policy analysis were also used to analyze the collected data from different sources. The study revealed that different strategies and standards were developed by the federal government, but it is not practically exercised at the regional and local level. The majority of government officials and experts agreed that existing policies and strategies related to UGI is not properly implemented. On the other hand, lack of policy and strategies are the major limitation in the development and management of UGI. Almost majority of the respondents confirmed that weak institutional arrangement has contributed to the poor implementation of UGI development. Lack of attention and awareness, the weak institutional arrangement is the main responsible factors for the absence of proper policy and poor implementation of strategies concerning UGI. Thus, actions needed for all the development of proper policies and strategies to improve UGI development.

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Environmental degradation is an increasing problem in many parts of the world and the type of ecology prevalent in an area is a major factor that determines the extent to which the area should be degraded. This study examined spatial dimension of environmental degradation prevalent in the coastal areas of south west, Nigeria. It also puts into consideration the level of severity of the environmental problems and the various ecological zones in which the surveyed communities in the study area are located. Environmental degradation is the major concept in this study and the DPSIR framework was used in understanding the concept. Mixed-method approaches, involving qualitative and quantitative methodology for data collection were used. The main techniques for primary data collection were questionnaire survey.