Three decades of pastoralist settlement dynamics in the Ethiopian Omo Delta based on remote sensing data

Amos, Samira; Mengistu, Sileshi; Kleinschroth, Fritz

doi:10.1007/s10745-021-00257-6

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The plains in the upper parts of the lowlands are characterized by woodland, shrubland and grassland. In the Omo Delta, the vegetation is evergreen, comprising mainly swamp grassland, shrubland, riverine forests, riparian woodland and flood‐recession cropland (Amos et al, 2021; Carr, 1998). The dominant Reference Soil Groups in the Omo‐Gibe Basin are Nitisols , Vertisols and Alisols , while the Omo Delta is dominated by Fluvisols and Gleysols (Dondeyne et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The interplay of river discharge and sediment supply with sea or lake dynamics determines a delta's formation and landform dynamics (Syvitski et al, 2009). Human activities such as damming and diversion of rivers, deforestation, and expanding cropland areas extensively alter river discharge and sediment deposition regimes (Amos et al, 2021; Syvitski et al, 2009). These human interventions coupled with climatic changes have led to fluctuating extents of major deltas around the world, such as the Mekong Delta (Anthony et al, 2015), Yangtze Delta (Chu et al, 2013; Lu & Higgitt, 1998), Nile Delta (Ali & El‐Magd, 2016; Stanley, 1996) and the Mississippi River Delta (Blum & Roberts, 2009; Coleman et al, 1998; Wells & Coleman, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the Ethiopia–Kenya border, where the Omo River flows into Lake Turkana, the Omo Delta has evolved as a bird's‐foot morphological delta type (Schuster & Nutz, 2018; Seybold et al, 2007). This dynamic delta is inhabited by the Dasanech people, who rely on flood‐recession agriculture and pastoralism for their livelihood (Amos et al, 2021; Carr, 2017). Thus, variations in the shape and extent of the Omo Delta as revealed by satellite images (Figure 1) are likely to impact fisheries, food security of the Dasanech people, and other ecosystem services provided by the delta (Amos et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation of the Omo Delta between 1990 and 2018: What remote sensing data reveal and models explain

Kangi,

Dondeyne,

Kleinschroth

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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Deltas, being areas where river sediments accumulate, are sensitive to changes in climate and anthropogenic processes that affect sediment generation. The Omo Delta, on the Ethiopia–Kenya border, is constantly changing due to fluctuating lake levels, a variable climate, and rapidly changing land use. Due to field data scarcity and the region's limited accessibility, we relied on remote sensing (RS) data to investigate delta extent between 1990 and 2018 and attempted to disentangle the effect of climatic from anthropogenic variables. We obtained a time series of delta extent from Landsat imagery using Random Forest (RF) classification. Using parametric and non‐parametric regression techniques, we regressed the delta extent on Lake Turkana levels, Omo River discharges, Omo‐Gibe Basin rainfall, tree cover loss, and irrigation extent. The RF algorithm distinguished water from land with high (>90%) accuracies and revealed Omo Delta extent fluctuations ranging from 949 km2 in 1993 to 651 km2 in 2000. Lake water level, which depends on the rainfall over the Omo‐Turkana Basin, emerged as the best predictor of delta extent. However, the annual rainfall over the Omo‐Gibe Basin showed no correlation with delta extent. The regression models further show a connection between delta extent, irrigation extent, and tree cover loss. We conclude that rainfall indirectly influences delta extent across the Omo‐Turkana Basin. Regression models indicate additional cumulative effects of human activity in the Omo‐Gibe Basin but fall short in explaining delta dynamics.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation of the Omo Delta between 1990 and 2018: What remote sensing data reveal and models explain

Kangi,

Dondeyne,

Kleinschroth

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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“…After the drought of 1973-1975, international organizations and state authorities started using water development as the main tool to build services and attract pastoralists to settle 100 . Governments and NGOs have promoted boreholes drilling within a long-term plan to transition pastoralists into small scale-irrigation farming 101 . However, the unexpected consequences of these policies resulted in the impoverishment of farmers, especially women 95 , land degradation caused by overgrazing 100 , and pastureland fragmentation 102 .…”

Section: Borana Lowland Of Southern Ethiopiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Over-reliance on water infrastructure erodes the resilience of drylands pastoralists

Baldassarre

Piemontese

Terzi

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Extreme droughts are affecting millions of livestock farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, causing water shortages, famines, migration, and fatalities. The construction of new small water infrastructures (e.g., wells, boreholes, and small dams) is increasingly supported by NGOs and national governments to improve water availability for agro-pastoralists, especially as an emergency response to extreme droughts. While the short-term benefits of small water infrastructure are clear, their potential cumulative impact and their long-term effects on the resilience of drylands communities remain unclear. Building on in-depth anthropological literature from five key African drylands, we model post-drought pastoralists' dynamics related to small water infrastructure. We show that while developing new water points releases water shortages in the short term, it can erode the traditional adaptation practices without adequate governance. This can cause unexpected long-term impacts, such as sedentism, overgrazing, rangeland degradation, and groundwater depletion. We further illustrate how our model captures early quantitative signals of resilience loss in dryland Angola, where large-scale implementation of small water infrastructure is being delivered in response to the worst droughts ever recorded in the pursuit of increasing climate resilience.

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“…These two distinct uses of water resources among different actor groups could potentially lead to conflicting or competing interests particularly against the backdrop of a changing climate (Carr 2017). In the wider Omo delta area alone, a population of up to 40,000 inhabitants is potentially affected by changes in the water regime (Amos et al 2021).…”

Section: The Case Of the Omo-turkana Basinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narratives underlying research in African river basin management

et al. 2021

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River modifications through hydropower dams and other infrastructure have far-reaching economic, ecological and social effects that are viewed in highly contrasting ways depending on underlying narratives. As part of a Euro-African research consortium funded by the European Commission we studied pathways for sustainable river basin management in the Omo-Turkana basins in Ethiopia and Kenya. Based on a literature review, stakeholder workshops, targeted interviews and considering our own positionality, we identified underlying narratives related to (a) economic transformation and modernization, (b) indigenous rights and (c) nature conservation, which were all connected through water, energy, food and ecosystems within a (d) landscape nexus. Yet, we also identified a (e) living museum narrative suggesting that international advocacy for indigenous rights and nature conservation is a means through which Western societies want to preserve African societies in an “undeveloped” state. National governments use this narrative to silence external critique, while the tourism industry promotes it to advertise visits to pastoralist tribes. This narrative reveals powerful, yet largely ignored hindrances for collaborative projects resulting from cultural and historical biases in Euro-African collaborations. Based on our analysis, we argue that international research projects in sustainability sciences need to increase the transparency of open and hidden narratives that influence research directions and power relationships between scientific partners, also those using mostly technically-driven approaches. We emphasize that African landscapes are not to be viewed as living museums, and collaborative research should be based on fairness, respect, care, and honesty to allow for multiple narratives that underlie research.

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Three decades of pastoralist settlement dynamics in the Ethiopian Omo Delta based on remote sensing data

Cited by 9 publications

References 39 publications

Variation of the Omo Delta between 1990 and 2018: What remote sensing data reveal and models explain

Variation of the Omo Delta between 1990 and 2018: What remote sensing data reveal and models explain

Over-reliance on water infrastructure erodes the resilience of drylands pastoralists

Narratives underlying research in African river basin management

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