Geography

The objective of this study is to evaluate the land use and land cover dynamics over  41 years (1973 to 2013) and to identify the major causes of changes in land use and land cover in the Mizewa watershed. The study used an integration of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) approach for analyzing the direction, magnitude, and spatial pattern of land use and land cover change in the study watershed. Results of this study showed that there were changes in land use and land cover patterns. Cultivated lands increased by 16.42% and 8.46% between 1973 to 1985 and 1986 to 1999 respectively. Furthermore, from 2000 to 2013, there were 1040.214, 984.028 and 111.02 hectares of settlement and plantation, bush lands and grasslands had been changed to cultivated land. The expansion of cultivated lands between 1973 and 2013 in the watershed could be directly related to rapid population growth and the  clearing of bush lands and grass lands for such increasing agricultural l...

This study analyzed the land use/land cover (LULC) change and their causes and implications on the natural resources of the Dedo Watershed, Ethiopia. The study used 1984, 2000, and 2017 satellite images to detect the trends of land use/land cover change. Moreover, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to identify the driving forces linked to the changes and their impact on the natural resources of the watershed. The study identified five LULC types as follows: cultivation, settlement, dense forest, light vegetation, and grassland. Over the last 33 years, cultivation and settlement land expanded by 15.7% and 0.34%, whereas dense forest, light vegetation, and grazing land declined by 9.2%, 4.97%, and 1.85%, respectively. The establishment of the resettlement program and population pressure and associated demands were the major driving forces behind the land use/cover change. Whereas increased soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and decline in water resources are ...

Mapping and quantifying the status of Land use/Land cover (LULC) changes and drivers of change are important for identifying vulnerable areas for change and designing sustainable ecosystem services. This study analyzed the status of LULC changes and key drivers of change for the last 30 years through a combination of remote sensing and GIS with the surveying of the local community understanding of LULC patterns and drivers in the Gubalafto district, Northeastern Ethiopia. Five major LULC types (cultivated and settlement, forest cover, grazing land, bush land and bare land) from Landsat images of 1986, 2000, and 2016 were mapped. The results demonstrated that cultivated and settlement constituted the most extensive type of LULC in the study area and increased by 9% extent. It also revealed that a substantial expansion of bush land and bare land areas during the past 30 years. On the other hand, LULC classes that has high environmental importance such as grazing land and forest cover ...

Integrated Sustainable Land Management (ISLM) is progressively viewed as a key strategy to boost food security in Ethiopia and feed its growing population. By understanding this logical ground, this paper examines the effect of ISLM technologies adoption on household food security. The study relies on cross-sectional household-level data collected from 414 randomly selected household heads across three districts to analyze this issue. An Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) model coupled with the Full Information Maximum Likelihood (FIML) technique was applied to analyze the required data. The finding shows that the adoption of ISLM technologies has significantly increased food security. It specifically increases food consumption expenditure in households by ETB (national currency in Ethiopia; as of August 2021, 1 ETB is equal to approximately USD $0.02) 38.3 (27%) when compared to households that do not adopt groups. Similarly, it increases the adopter households’ dietary diversit...

Wetlands are estimated to cover about 4 to 6% of the world’s land. Wetlands provide many important services to human society. They are also among the most important and productive ecosystems on the earth due to their functions and attributes. The focus of this paper is to review human development and wetland conservation policy. The research methodology involved a comprehensive and systematic
review of existing literature, an interview, and case studies. Review of the cases reveals that wetlands have played a significant role in the growth of human civilizations and cultural development. In Ethiopia wetlands' are distributed in different parts of the country, in almost all ecological and altitudinal ranges covering approximately 2% of its total surface area. But excessive drainage for various purposes such as agriculture and eradication of mosquito, filling for various purposes such as settlement, blocking Feeder Rivers, pollution and mining
are among the activities that affect wetlands on site. Ethiopia lacks a specific policy on wetlands that enshrines wetlands of the land from deleterious actions that affect their contribution to the national development. In a nutshell, lack of a comprehensive wetlands policy and implementing law coupled with the absence of an institution duly empowered to issue and implement wetland laws and coordinate management activities is the underlying cause for the deterioration of the wetlands of Ethiopia. Therefore, it is recommended for the
country like Ethiopia to Ratify Ramsar would enhance the concern for protection and wise utilization of wetlands and policy formulation.

A comprehensive study of landslide processes was carried out in the city of Dessie and its environs in northern Ethiopia. The study area consists of a graben bounded by steep fault scarps and characterized by highly weathered Tertiary basaltic rocks covered with Quaternary deposits. A method of landslide susceptibility mapping that adapts to the area of the hillside (about 16 km2) is presented. First, a preliminary zoning was made by dividing the area into a discrete number of smaller units having similar susceptibility to sliding, followed by semi-quantitative field investigation of the geological, geotechnical, geomorphological, hydrogeological, and anthropogenic factors that contribute to the susceptibility of the units to landslide activity. The final landslide susceptibility map was accomplished by using classical overlay procedures of established maps representing the different influencing factors. The validity of the method was checked by means of a landslide-hazard map that showed the actual distribution of landslide episodes that have occurred in the past. Finally, four broad landslide susceptibility zones and 22 specific active landslide sites were identified. The most important landslide types were complex earth and debris slides and flows in silty clay soils associated with alluvial and colluvial deposits overlying highly weathered basalts. Intact basaltic rocks experienced rock fall and toppling in steep slope areas. Large-scale landslides have been initiated mostly by surface water and groundwater during the wet season.