Today’s executive column guest goes by the name of Prof. Abebe Getahun. He is a Professor of Aquatic Biology at the Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University (AAU). He was Chairman of the Department for several years and served at various capacities at AAU and Asmara University. His research interest mainly revolves around biodiversity, ecology and conversation.
By the same token, the Professor is recipient of the African Career Award of the Rockefeller Foundation, several grants and fellowships including from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Systematic Research Fund of the American Museum of Natural History, the World Bank, Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), RUFFORD Foundation, Mohammed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.
He was also fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and System for Analysis of Research and Training (START), and whatnot. He has participated in conferences and workshops in over 35 countries.
This writer sat down with Prof. Abebe Getahun to acquaint his personal and professional life with The Ethiopian Herald esteemed readers. He had touched upon several mesmerizing issues about Galama Chilalo Mountain ranges and other related activities. Excerpts:
Taking the initiative of the premier, you and former students of Arsi had partaken in rehabilitating degraded areas in Entoto Mountain. Where did the inspiration come from?
To start with, there is no gainsaying the fact that rehabilitating degraded areas is tremendously significant. We were able to partake in rehabilitating degraded areas with the recent initiative of the Ethiopian Premier, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, in which 350 million trees had been planted in a day. At that specific point, former students of Arsi and I were able to plant about two hundred trees in a day around Entoto to show solidarity with the government. However, more importantly, we have been engaged in the rehabilitation of Galama Chilalo Mountain ranges in the Arsi Zone of Oromia region even before the above initiative.
Galama Chilalo Mountain ranges are very peculiar and are the sources of water for a wide spectrum of drainage basins (Awash, Wabe-Shebelle and Rift Valley–Lake Ziway). This mountain range is the only one that supplies water to three different drainage basins in the country.
In a similar vein, I have been partaking in various community activities for the most part in the place where I was born and grew, Shirka Woreda of Arsi Zone of Oromia Region. As it is a marginalized rural area, I did not know what I had to do. Quite a lot of things were simply popping into my mind. In due course, I decided to get myself fully involved in the community service to construct roads, schools, and other related development activities.
What inspired you to play a part in the Galama Chilalo Mountain project?
Well, I have known the inside out of Galama Chilalo Mountain ranges since my childhood. They were attention-grabbing dense forests that could win the hearts and minds of all and sundry at the drop of a hat. I was in the habit of taking a walk in the left, right and center of the mountain ranges quite a lot of times. Nothing makes me happier than paying a visit to the area.
Honestly speaking, at one time, themountain was full of indigenous trees like “Zigiba”, “Woira”, “Koso” and what have you. Moreover, the mountain range was also home to unique and eye-catching endemic wildlife such as Mountain Nyala, Ethiopian wolf, Menelik’s bushbuck and others. However, nowadays the ecological and economic life in and the surrounding mountain ranges is threatened by huge human encroachment and unsustainable uses and practices
The ecosystem has been deeply disturbed and fast-changing to something unpredictable in terms of reversibility. The mountain needs renewed and urgent intervention concerning sustainability. The stocks of forests and wild animals, the volume of rivers, the microclimate of the localities, and so forth are fast-changing for the worse while the population is rising.
Unattended youth unemployment problems and social unrest and conflict are not uncommon. Economic life around the mountain range is still dominated by agriculture requiring much more effort to maintain internal and external balance. The gravity of the situation on grounds of environmental, social and economic sustainability demand faster, determined and concerted effort before the state of things becomes irreversible.
The situation is getting from the frying pan into the fire every so often. It is a heartbreaking phenomenon. Hence, my colleagues and I came to a decision to do something which can change the heartrending situation of the mountain within the shortest time possible. If we simply sit down and wait, the devastation would continue and more harm would suggest itself on the natural vegetation.
What benefits do we secure out of Galama Chilalo mountain ranges?
It is no secret that climate change is currently threatening the world including Ethiopia. In the absence of forests, we feel like a fish out of water. As the Galama Chilalo mountain ranges are the source of rain, and water tower for various drainage basins, they mean everything to the country and the world.
Needless to say, most of the streams for the three drainage basins come from the mountain ranges. We cannot think of Lake Ziway without Katar River that originates from Kaka Mountain (within the Galama range); Awash in its lower reaches cannot be conceived without Keleta River that originates from Chilalo Mountains. Most of the major tributaries of Wabe- Shebelle such as the Harargie, Gumelo, Sirba, Hulul, Demensho, etc.. arise from Galama Chilalo ranges. If the vegetation is removed due to human actions, then there is no way that the streams originate from the mountain ranges which support the different agro-ecologies downstream.Likewise, the mountain ranges serve as water towers for the surrounding districts.
Tell us about the reaction of the inhabitants towards the ongoing project?
The inhabitants are always by our side. Aside from announcing our activities to the general public, we have formally and legally established an NGO. The members take account of friends from Arsi, Tigray, Ambo and other parts of the country. For the realization of the project, we have secured modest funds from various donors. Apart from making an effort to propagate the inhabitants and getting them plant around the mountain ranges at appropriate places, we have considered six districts around the mountain ranges and planted bamboo seedlings.
By the way, the bamboo plantation is a very important plantation that could be converted into utilities; farmers can present its products to the market and get income out of it. Therefore, it is not only used for reforestation of degraded land but also for generating income for the community living around the mountains. In this fashion, farmers can produce different industrial products and put them up for sale.
What challenges have you encountered in due course of running the project, if any?
To be quite honest, the challenges are the human population. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, people would like to have more land to till and grow crops. To tell the truth, we cannot stop the expansion of the population and the need for living. The point is always how to balance conservation with the livelihood of the population. This is a great challenge for any conservation activity. If one takes Awash National park as an example, the area is literally invaded by human habitation and livestock rearing. We have to be very much innovative and think alternative ways of rehabilitating conservation areas by providing alternative livelihoods for the people and getting the community actively involved in the planning and implementation of projects.
What is all about the inclusive green economy?
The synthetic view has announced its presence at the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century. The view no more clings to one side of the polarized arguments; rather it builds on the desirable and compatible aspects of each of the views. It entertains the socialist principles of discharging social responsibilities along with capitalist principles that promote individual initiatives and economic viability, all finding expression in environmentally friendly activities.
It integrates environmental sustainability with social and economic sustainability. The wrapping principle is sustainability, in which social inclusiveness, economic viability, and environmental up-keep are integrated to achieve social wellbeing across time.
The sustainability of the environment is essential for society to get the uninterrupted service emanating out of the environment. Social sustainability is vital to counter the disintegration process in which conflict and friction erode the fabric and survival of human society. Economic sustainability is mandatory for the continued availability of goods and services needed for consumption. The three aspects are the pillars of sustainability that are indispensable for social wellbeing.
The Ethiopia Herald May 8, 2020
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
