Recommendations on priorities of lldcs on climate change, desertification, land degradation and drought what has emerged from this study is that there is an imperative need to give lldcs special attention in as far as the issues of climate change, land degradation and desertification are concerned. The paper focuses on spatial and temporal changes in forest from. Deforestation and land degradation on the ethiopian. At the present time it is facing a serious ecological imbalance. What are causes and effects of environmental degradation. The scope and impact of land degradation in ethiopia. This could be addressed through an in depth study of environmental management arrangements, in terms of existing. Therefore, environmental degradation can only be understood within the context of the society that the environment supports. Changing patterns of social integration affect the ways in which natural resources are utilized by society, the value ascribed to nature, and the importance attached to environmental conservation and rehabilitation. Request pdf environmental degradation and management in ethiopian highlands. Soil conservation and related environmental rehabilitation measures adopted by the ministry of agriculture, with donor assistance, are outlined and shown to be inadequate to reverse the trend of environmental degradation. In ethiopia, students learn environmental responsibility. In addition, land degradation directly affected the type of plant grown on the area, reduced availability of potable water, lessened volumes of surface water, depletion of aquifers and biodiversity loss. Smallholder peasant agriculture, in some areas including forestry, is the dominant sector accounting for.
Long term human occupation of the highlands of ethiopia, accompanied by sedentary agriculture and extensive cattle herding activities, in combination with population pressure have resulted in the heavy deforestation, and subsequent environmental degradation. Ethiopia is a country where natural resource degradation has been going on for centuries. Deforestation and environmental degradation in ethiopia. Environmental degradation is t he deterioration o f the environment throu gh depletion of resources s uch a s ai r, water and soil. Overgrazing and the expansion of farming into marginal lands caused by an increasing population pressure without increasing economic productivity have been leaving the land bare. In addition, land degradation directly affected the type of plant grown on the. Soil degradation is thus the most immediate environmental problem facing ethiopia. Ethiopia can be regarded as a microcosm of africa due to its vast and diverse agroecology and population. Another study with a focus on the role of markets has shown that market forces and government subsidies or lack thereof can have environmental impacts 5. The hararghae highlands in eastern ethiopia, tigrai, wollo, and semen shoa highlands in the north and the gamogofa highlands and the bilate river basin, which starts in eastern slopes of gurage highlands and stretches through.
Ethiopia feyera deresa tsetadirgachew legesse mizan tepi university, school of agriculture and natural resource, department of natural resource management adama science and technology university, school of humanities and law, department of geography and environmental management. Efforts to counteract this problem include environmental protection and environmental resources management. Impact of environmental degradation on agricultural. Ethiopia is a classic example of how severe degradation of ecosystems and productive agricultural lands and poor utilization of water resources increase poverty, food insecurity, loss of biodiversity, and even conflict.
Nagdeve abstract the present paper examined the relationship of population to the environment and with growing population, poverty and urbanization the environment is degrading. Environmental degradation and political constraints in. Population growth and environmental degradation in india by dr. There are many examples of environmental degradation throughout the world. A considerable volume of information has been produced since the mid1980s regarding soil erosion in ethiopia barbier 1989. With a population of about 65 million, ethiopia is one of the largest and most populated countries in africa. Environmental degradation, as exhibited in land and water resources degradation together biodiversity loss, remains a key development. Nov 12, 2015 the most common form of land degradation in ethiopia is soil erosion by water. Deforestation and forest plantations in ethiopia springerlink. One of the major challenges facing ethiopia in its strive for development is environmental degradation, which is manifested in the form of land and water. As part of the aap, unicef is supporting the government in a wide range of. Thus, environmental degradation refers to the process or a situation of depreciation in quantity andor quality of the resources of the environment such as air, water resources, mineral resources, land, flora and fauna, as a result of harsh climatic factors, pollution andor unsustainable exploitation by man. In spite of these efforts, eia in ethiopia has until now remained weak.
It contains 11sectoral and another 11 crosssectoral policy elements. Overview of environmental impact assessment in ethiopia. The countrys highland areas include about 90% of its arable lands and are occupied by 90 percent of the human population and 60 percent of all livestock hurni, et al. Current status of the environmental impact assessment system. Such studies showed that a link exists between the two 26. Environmental degradation and management in ethiopian. By incorporating environmental issues into its work within ethiopia, we strive to develop initiatives that make improvements. It has a very high genetic diversity in four of the worlds widely grown food crops wheat, barley, sorghum, peas, in three of the worlds most important industrial crops linseed, castor, and. Executive summary the united nations general assembly has called in ga 64236 for a united nations. Analysis of the research literature demonstrates unequivocally that environmental degradation is widespread and severe in ethiopia.
The interplay between the physical environment and population distribution in ethiopia explains, to a great extent, the ever worsening problem of environmental degradation aklilu, 2001. Several studies have been conducted in order to examine the health and environmental effects arising from waste dumps. The paper suggests some rules of thumb for identifying the priority areas for government and donor intervention, including the need for targeted research on the productivity. The interplay between the physical environment and population distribution in ethiopia explains, to a great extent, the ever worsening problem of. Land degradation in the ethiopian highlands royal museum for.
In ethiopia, increasing evidence indicates that the rate of environmental degradation has increased in recent times, with the countries faunal and floral diversities are under a great threat. Land degradation is a great threat for the future and it requires great effort and resources to ameliorate. Environmental management in ethiopian highlands is therefore not only closely related to the improvement and conservation of ecological environment, but also. One of the major causes of environmental degradation in ethiopia could be attributed to rapid growth of population, which is adversely affecting the natural. The effects of the major environmental problems on both health and productivity are. In particular, the impacts of agriculture and deforestation especially on soils have been severe and increase the vulnerability of many people to food and water insecurity. Environmental degradation and management in ethiopian highlands. Effects of such pollution are evident around or near fertiliser and chemical plants and other. Rural poverty, food insecurity, and environmental degradation in ethiopia. The impact of climate change, desertification and land. This paper addresses the challenge of reducing poverty, food insecurity, and natural resource degradation, and abolishing recurrent famines in ethiopia. The environmental implication of population dynamics in. Environmental issues in ethiopia and links to the ethiopian.
The most common form of land degradation in ethiopia is soil erosion by water. Causes and consequences article pdf available in european researcher 8182. Land degradation is the common environmental problem in ethiopia. Aug 18, 2008 environmental degradation increases the vulnerability of the societies it affects and contributes to the scarcity of resources. Rural poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation. In ethiopia, environmental degradation is commonly blamed on acts of god or acts of irrational peasants,6 and there has been little attempt to assess the real causes of the problem until very recent times. The environmental policy is predicated on a growing concern for the degradation of the natural resource base, and takes into account how that base is affected by, and affects, the overall productivity of the agriculture sector in the country. Climate change will lead to an increase in the intensity and frequency of weather extremes, such as heat waves, floods, droughts and tropical cyclones. The loss of soil, and the deterioration in fertility, moisture storage capacity, and structure of the remaining soils, all reduce the countrys agricultural productivity. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil. Environmental and health impact of solid waste disposal in.
Land degradation is one of the challenging environmental problems of ethiopia. Water and the environment in ethiopia mateos mekiso environmental protection agency epa, addis ababa, ethiopia abstract it is generally recognised that fresh water is regarded as one of the most important natural resources for all socioeconomic development and a basic input for environmental management. This study aimed to study the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation in ethiopia by questioning the existence of environmental kuznets curve. An accurate analysis of deforestation and forest degradation requires that clear distinctions be made between these two terms, between the factors and underlying causes of these processes and between direct e. Introduction environmental degradation and poverty have become important global issues since the 1970s, when the world countries and international community became aware of the negative consequences of overexploitation of the human environment. Environmental degradation, livelihood and conflicts accord. The major causes of land degradation in ethiopia are the rapid population increase, severe soil loss, deforestation, low vegetative cover and unbalanced crop and livestock production. National report of ethiopia sustainable development. Since 150,000 years ago population has expanded all over the highland parts of. Ethiopias government has already put in place a number of policies and strategies to address environmental degradation. With the exception of climate change, the major environmental issues affecting ethiopia are soil erosion and land degradation, deforestation and forest degradation, water scarcity, biodiversity. Land degradation, especially in the highlands, has been identified as the most serious environmental problem in ethiopia.
In ethiopia, deforestation is an ongoing issue that is causing extinction, changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement of. Both poverty and environmental degradation have been increasing in many developing countries, hence there is a pressing need first to evaluate and analyze the povertyenvironmental degradation nexus, and second, to prescribe policy options to mitigate or eradicate these two problems. Debre markos, ethiopia, october 2011 according to the food and agriculture organization of the united nations, ethiopia and most countries in africa suffer from several forms of environmental degradation, leading to desertification and a detrimental impact on. Both poverty and environmental degradation have been increasing in many developing countries, hence there is a pressing need first to evaluate and analyze the poverty environmental degradation nexus, and second, to prescribe policy options to mitigate or eradicate these two problems. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Current status of the environmental impact assessment. Rapid population growth and environmental degradation in ethiopia. Extreme weather events, such as severe flooding, increase the spread of waterborne diseases, such as malaria and diarrhoea. About 50 percent of ethiopia can be defined as mountainous, be it because of altitude above about 1500m, or because of steep slopes. Environmental degradation is a process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment. Moreover, ethiopia is one of the 20 countries covered by the africa adaptation program aap whose goal is to implement comprehensive climate change adaptation actions and resilience plans. According to historical estimates, nearly 90% of ethiopian highland had forest cover. This article attempts to look at the causes of progressive environmental northeast african studies issn 074093.
Deforestation, wood famine and environmental degradation in. Conducted an analysis of changes and trends over last fifty years. The article begins by outlining the extent and origins of environmental degradation in northern ethiopia. The paper focuses on spatial and temporal changes in forest from 19902005 and cropland in ethiopia. Ethiopia has unveiled its sustainable and integrated development planning documents, the 5year growth and transformation plan and the climate resilient green economy strategy that shaped the content of this report. Water and the environment in ethiopia mateos mekiso environmental protection agency epa, addis ababa, ethiopia abstract it is generally recognised that fresh water is regarded as one of the most important natural resources for all socioeconomic development and a. Department of land resources management and environmental. It is one of the major causes of low and declining agricultural productivity and continuing food insecurity and rural poverty.
Pressure is therefore being exerted on the land, water and atmosphere resulting in the accumulation of biological and chemical pollutants. Ethiopia level concerns to environmental degradation. Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods. Though five years have elapsed since the adoption of the eia law in ethiopia, the practice is still in its infantile stage, owing to a. Many international organizations recognize environmental. Soil erosion is indeed considered the most significant environmental challenge to the food security of the population and future development prospects of the country wagayehu 2003. Abstract land degradation in most developing countries is. A case study from south central ethiopia summary this paper addresses the challenge of reducing poverty, food insecurity, and natural resource degradation, and abolishing recurrent famines in ethiopia. This process can be entirely natural in origin, or it can be accelerated or caused by human activities. Economic growth and environmental degradation in ethiopia. Land degradation and rehabilitation in ethiopia society at large is also suffering from uncertain information about the rates of land use change and land degradation. In ethiopia, deforestation is an ongoing issue that is causing extinction, changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement of indigenous people. Environmental degradation can lead to a scarcity of resources, such as water and farmable.
It is rare nowadays for people to raise issues of conservation independently of environmental management, and it is in line with this trend that africans are discussing environmental management in lieu of conservation in their document. Overgrazing and the expansion of farming into marginal lands caused by an increasing population pressure without increasing economic productivity have. Pdf rural poverty, food insecurity and environmental. The environmental policy of ethiopia epe, was launched in 1997. Rapid population growth and environmental degradation in. When natural habitats are destroyed or natural resources are depleted, the environment is degraded. There is a need to appreciate the state of environmental management mismanagement in ethiopia. Review of lessons learned about 50 percent of ethiopia can be defined. Land degradation and rehabilitation in ethiopia world bank. Economics of land degradation and improvement in ethiopia. In addition, land degradation directly affected the type of plant grown on the area, reduced availability of potable water, lessened.
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