Land Degradation and Overgrazing in the Afar Region, Ethiopia: A Spatial Analysis

Sonneveld, B.G.J.S.; Pande, Saket; Georgis, Kidane; Keyzer, M.A.; Ali, Aasif; Takele, Abuhay

doi:10.1007/978-90-481-8657-0_8

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Second, sites under risk can only be identified when movements of clans are followed simultaneously in their geographical and temporal dependence. In absence of information on migration routes, [48] reported on stylized results by releasing boundary restrictions from woreda to zonal and state level. Yet, these attempts are far from realistic.…”

Section: This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Figure 4 presents total TLU by source 5 . The [64] livestock data for cattle, camel, goats, sheep and equine presented for zone 1 and 3 were used to create scaling factors to bring the CSA_03 data [48] the year 2011 level for the entire Afar Region. This data set is presented in Figure 4 as TLU_CSA03_scale We observe that the scaled CSA03 data (TLU_CSA03_scale) has the highest number of TLU followed by four more or less equal numbers (TLU_CSA03, TLU_regA13, TLU_LDMPS, TLU_ESGPIP).…”

Section: Total Livestock Herds In the Afar Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying Hot Spots of Critical Forage Supply in Dryland Nomadic Pastoralist Areas: A Case Study for the Afar Region, Ethiopia

Sonneveld

Wesenbeeck

Keyzer

et al. 2017

Land

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This study develops a methodology to identify hot spots of critical forage supply in nomadic pastoralist areas, using the Afar Region, Ethiopia, as a special case. It addresses two main problems. First, it makes a spatially explicit assessment of fodder supply and demand extracted from a data poor environment. Fodder supply is assessed by combining rainfall-based production functions and rule-based assessment for prevailing land use. Fodder demand is based on a data consistency check of livestock statistics concerning herd size, composition and geographical distribution. Second, individual herd movements have to be evaluated jointly in concurrent migration patterns to assess local pressures on fodder resources. We, therefore, apply a transition model that relates stock levels to seasonal migration routings for all Afar sub-clans jointly so as to localize the hot spots where feed demand exceeds forage supply. Critical areas come to the fore, especially, near fringes of Highlands and in the southern part of the Afar. A sensitivity test shows that 'Baseline' scenario is close to the 'Best' but under 'Worst', the Afar region would fall into despair. We conclude that the model is a useful tool to inform policy makers on critical areas in the Afar region.

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Section: This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Total Livestock Herds In the Afar Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Hot Spots of Critical Forage Supply in Dryland Nomadic Pastoralist Areas: A Case Study for the Afar Region, Ethiopia

Sonneveld

Wesenbeeck

Keyzer

et al. 2017

Land

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“…Potential food for the Egyptian Vultures and other scavengers in the Afar region (Administrative Zones 1 and 3 ) are more than 470 000 animals that die annually due to diseases or other reasons and 127 000 more that are slaughtered (CSA 2013). Land degradation and overgrazing, which are widely increasing in the Afar region (Sonneveld et al 2010), may also contribute to the high mortality rates of the livestock in the area.…”

Section: Trends Of Roosting Egyptian Vulturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Congregations of wintering Egyptian VulturesNeophron percnopterusin Afar, Ethiopia: present status and implications for conservation

Arkumarev

Dobrev

Abebe³

et al. 2014

Ostrich

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The Endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus congregates in communal roosts in the wintering areas and where food availability is high, where even a single threat might lead to substantial population declines. Thus, more research on the congregation sites is needed for timely detection of threats and effectively directed conservation measures. We studied bird numbers, use of roosting substrates and roosting habitat of wintering Egyptian Vultures in Ethiopia. Vultures were counted using the road-count technique in 2009, 2010 and 2013 along c. 600 km of roads in the Afar region. Over 1 000 individuals were counted each year and the sites with the highest congregations were identified. Nearly half of the birds were adults and the majority roosted on bird-safe types of electric pylons. Most of the Egyptian Vultures were found below 500 m above sea level, in bare areas, open savannas or grasslands, and their abundance was negatively related to the amount of cover of bush vegetation. The distribution of roosting birds was not affected by distance to human settlements. To avoid disasterous effects on the population of the Egyptian Vultures, we strongly recommend that the sites sheltering the highest numbers of roosting birds should be included in the Important Bird Area network, the use of poisons should be banned, and dangerous power lines should be insulated or substituted with safer types.

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“…The Afar utilize complex herd management strategies, including breeding programs, culling, herd diversification, and controlled management of migration practices routes (Tesfay & Tafere, ). This livelihood is currently threatened by numerous challenges such as worsening rangeland conditions due to over‐grazing and land degradation, population growth (Sonneveld et al, ; Abule et al, ), changing property rights and sedentarization practices (Hundie & Padmanabhan, ; Tsegaye et al, ), as well as increasing state interventions and modernization efforts (Makki, ; Schmidt & Pearson, ).…”

Section: Study Area and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repercussions of institutional governance changes on communication practices in the Afar National Regional State, Ethiopia

Pearson

Schmidt

2018

Singap J Trop Geogr

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Formal and informal institutions guide and shape communities and communication practices worldwide. Colonization, modernization and political transformation processes changed and questioned the role and relevance of informal institutions and strengthened the position of formal institutions. This paper looks at institutional governance transitions and the increasing presence of formal as opposed to informal clan based practices in the pastoralist lowlands of the Afar Region, Ethiopia, by analysing its impact on communication practices. Afar is governed by numerous multi‐scale institutions; a complex network of governmental and traditional, formal and informal bodies at different scales. The region witnessed the devaluation of indigenous and traditional customs, which altered how and with whom pastoralists and agro‐pastoralists communicate. The paper's case study shows that although residents now report their concerns to formal institutional representatives, traditional institutions are still functional. This change allows females to take a more active role in reporting concerns and communicating with authority figures. However, spatial disadvantages are present in this vast and sparsely populated region as those based further away from government representatives are disadvantaged. The relevance for a clear understanding of communication methods on the ground is stressed, in particular for implementing and disseminating programs and policies in this aid‐dependent area.

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Land Degradation and Overgrazing in the Afar Region, Ethiopia: A Spatial Analysis

Cited by 12 publications

References 16 publications

Identifying Hot Spots of Critical Forage Supply in Dryland Nomadic Pastoralist Areas: A Case Study for the Afar Region, Ethiopia

Identifying Hot Spots of Critical Forage Supply in Dryland Nomadic Pastoralist Areas: A Case Study for the Afar Region, Ethiopia

Congregations of wintering Egyptian VulturesNeophron percnopterusin Afar, Ethiopia: present status and implications for conservation

Repercussions of institutional governance changes on communication practices in the Afar National Regional State, Ethiopia

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