The effectiveness of village bylaws in sustainable management of community-managed exclosures in Northern Ethiopia

Yami, Mastewal; Mekuria, Wolde; Hauser, Michael

doi:10.1007/s11625-012-0176-2

Cited by 48 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In 1996, there were only about 143,000 ha of exclosure in Ethiopia [16]. However, in Tigray regional state alone the area under area exclosure reached 895,220 ha in 2011 [17]. Regional states are rapidly increasing areas put under exclosures, and by the end of 2013, exclosures covered 1.54 million ha in Tigray [18] and 1.55 m ha in Amhara [19].…”

Section: Area Exclosuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The management and user rights aspects of area exclosures need to be defined better and formal agreements made between government agencies and communities regarding their respective rights and responsibilities. Increased conflicts are reported between members of communities regarding access to and use of area exclosures and in recognizing and protecting their boundaries [17]. Recently, some regional states began allocating area exclosures to landless youth.…”

Section: Governance Of Area Exclosuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Re-Greening Ethiopia: History, Challenges and Lessons

Lemenih¹,

Kassa

2014

Forests

179

135

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Abstract:In Ethiopia, deforestation rates remain high and the gap between demand and domestic supply of forest products is expanding, even though government-initiated re-greening efforts began over a century ago. Today, over 3 million hectares (ha) of degraded forest land are under area exclosure; smallholder plantations cover 0.8 million ha; and state-owned industrial plantations stagnate at under 0.25 million ha. This review captures experiences related to re-greening practices in Ethiopia, specifically with regards to area exclosure and afforestation and reforestation, and distills lessons regarding processes, achievements and challenges. The findings show that farmers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are the main players, and that the private sector has so far played only a small role. The role of the government was mixed: supportive in some cases and hindering in others. The challenges of state-and NGO-led re-greening practices are: inadequate involvement of communities; poorly defined rehabilitation objectives; lack of management plans; unclear responsibilities and benefit-sharing arrangements; and poor silvicultural practices. The lessons include: a more active role for non-state actors in re-greening initiatives; more attention to market signals; devolution of management responsibility; clear definition of responsibilities and benefit-sharing arrangements; and better tenure security, which are all major factors to success.

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Section: Area Exclosuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Governance Of Area Exclosuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-Greening Ethiopia: History, Challenges and Lessons

Lemenih¹,

Kassa

2014

Forests

179

135

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“…Case studies conducted in the highlands of Ethiopia have shown that exclosures can be effective in restoring degraded ecosystems (e.g., Girmay et al 2009;Yayneshet et al 2009;Mekuria and Veldkamp 2012;Mekuria 2013;Yami et al 2013) and in providing economic benefits (Tilahun et al 2007;Babulo et al 2009;Mekuria et al 2011). However, all of these studies have been conducted in only two or three villages and so cannot adequately represent the diversity in soil, slope, exclosure management, climate, and topography in the Ethiopian highlands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring aboveground carbon and biodiversity: a case study from the Nile basin, Ethiopia

Mekuria

Langan

Johnston

et al. 2015

Forest Science and Technology

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In Ethiopia, exclosures in landscapes have become increasingly important to improving ecosystem services and reversing biodiversity losses. The present study was conducted in Gomit watershed, northern Ethiopia, to: (i) investigate the changes in vegetation composition, diversity and aboveground biomass and carbon following the establishment of exclosures; and (ii) analyse the economic returns of aboveground carbon sequestration and assess the perception of local communities on land degradation and exclosures. A space-for-time substitution approach was used to detect the changes in aboveground carbon, species composition, and diversity. Exclosures of 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 7-years-old and a communal grazing land were selected. Household surveys, key informant interviews, and a financial analysis were used to assess the perception of local communities and the value of exclosure impacts, respectively. Significant (P D 0.049) differences in species diversity and considerable increases in aboveground carbon (ranged from 0.6 to 4.2 t C ha ¡1 ), CO 2 storage (varied between 2.1 and 15.3 t CO 2 ha ¡1 ), woody species composition, and richness (ranged from five to 28) were observed following the establishment of exclosures. Exclosures generated temporary certified emission reductions (tCER) of 3.4, 2.1, 7.5, 12.6, 12.5, and 15.3 Mg CO 2 ha ¡1 after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 years, respectively. The net present value (NPV) of the aboveground carbon sequestered in exclosures ranged from US$6.6 to US$37.0 per hectare and increased with exclosure duration. At a watershed level, 51.4 Mg C ha ¡1 can be sequestered, which represents 188.6 Mg CO 2 ha ¡1 , resulting in tCER of 139.4 Mg CO 2 ha ¡1 and NPV of US$478.3 per hectare. This result would suggest that exclosures can potentially improve local communities' livelihoods beyond rehabilitating degraded lands if carbon stored in exclosures is traded. Communities in the watershed demonstrated that exclosures are effective in restoring degraded lands and they are benefiting from increased fodder production and reduced impacts of soil erosion. However, the respondents are also concerned over the sustainability of exclosure land management, as further expansion of exclosures aggravates degradation of remaining communal grazing lands and causes fuel wood shortages. This suggests that the sustainability of exclosure land management can be attained only if these critical concerns are addressed by a joint effort among government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and communities.

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“…Similar to this finding, Yami et al . () found that landscapes were degraded due to the absence of bylaws. However, there is a direct relation between the NDVI and the distance from settlements, indicating augmentation of vegetation cover with increasing distance from settlements (Table ; Figure ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transhumance as a driving force of landscape change in the marginal grabens of northern Ethiopia

Tesfamariam

Nyssen

Ghebreyohannes

et al. 2019

Singap J Trop Geogr

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Transhumance between the Afar lowlands and Tigray escarpments has been a common practice in northern Ethiopia. However, the impact of transhumance on landscape changes in the marginal grabens has not been significantly researched. Hence, this study aims to understand the process of transhumance and the linkages between social and biophysical aspects of the graben landscapes of northern Ethiopia. Google Earth (2010−2016) and Landsat Imageries (1995−2015) were used to analyse the spatio‐temporal landscape changes. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was applied to measure the change in vegetation cover. Interview and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect perceptions of communities on transhumance and landscape change. The findings reveal that transhumance caused conflicts between the lowlanders and highlanders, which in turn led to displacement of communities. Consequently, the NDVI value of the abandoned settlement increased over time. Conversely, the analysis of Google Earth Imageries and NDVI values show that vegetation cover of the new settlement has decreased. Moreover, the NDVI values of the transhumance areas showed little increase due to the establishments of exclosures in the escarpments. The findings of this study can, therefore, be used to develop targeted interventions aimed at solving transhumance‐induced conflicts, displacement of communities and conservation of natural resources.

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The effectiveness of village bylaws in sustainable management of community-managed exclosures in Northern Ethiopia

Cited by 48 publications

References 42 publications

Re-Greening Ethiopia: History, Challenges and Lessons

Re-Greening Ethiopia: History, Challenges and Lessons

Restoring aboveground carbon and biodiversity: a case study from the Nile basin, Ethiopia

Transhumance as a driving force of landscape change in the marginal grabens of northern Ethiopia

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