Ethiopia is endowed with abundant natural resources which form the basis of most livelihood strategies in rural areas and the economy at large, considering that 85% of the workforce is engaged in the primary sector. However, human-induced pressure on natural habitats is increasing, causing an unsustainable use of natural resources, overgrazing by a large livestock population, conversion of natural habitat and consequently fragmentation and isolation of remaining natural habitats and forests.
More than 30 national parks, wildlife reserves, controlled hunting areas and wildlife sanctuaries are found in Ethiopia. Over 6,000 species of plant exist here, highlighted scholars adding that many of which have yet to be scientifically documented. The country is a well known destination for bird watchers, as it is home to more than 860 bird species, 16 of which are endemic.
There are also 279 species of mammal, of which 35 are endemic. The country is also home to important populations of elephants and lions. Officially, Ethiopia’s protected areas cover 14 per cent of the country.
In the recent past, biodiversity in many of these protected areas has declined as their ecosystems have been exposed to intensive livestock grazing, and settlements have been established in some. The lack of protection has opened the way for environmental degradation, thus threatening the basis of existence for many species of animals and plants. In Ethiopia, however, there is very little awareness of the need for species protection.
The main cause of deforestation in Ethiopia is a growing population and subsequent higher demand for agriculture, livestock production and fuelwood. At the beginning of the 20th century, around 420,000 km² or 35% of Ethiopia›s land was covered with forests. Since then at least 90% of these indigenous forests have been lost, so said Kifle Argaw (PhD) Ex- Director General Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority.
In Ethiopia protected areas comprise National Parks, Wildlife Reserves and Sanctuaries, Forestry Priority Areas and Controlled Hunting Areas, forming the cornerstones of the national conservation strategy. As such, they are an integral part of sustainable development for Ethiopia in providing protection to centrepieces of wider landscapes and watersheds as source of important ecosystem services.
Protected areas provide many resources that can be used to provide direct gains, subsistence resources or less tangible benefits such as climate change mitigation and erosion control. Benefits provided by protected areas can be divided into four categories: Providing services to enable people to make a living (e.g. grazing resources, forest products, fish resources, wild food products, etc.) , Supporting human life (e.g. potable water and clean air, providing water for electricity production and irrigation) and Regulating other important ecosystem functions and services (e.g. montane forests regulating downstream water flows, carbon sequestration, natural disaster mitigation) as well as Having cultural significance and providing opportunities for recreation (e.g. sacred sites, ecotourism and trophy hunting) Certain benefits and values, such as recreation, tourism, grazing, agriculture, timber and fuelwood, amongst others, accrue directly to a protected area and the communities living within or close to the same.
Other benefits accrue indirectly to the national economy and the global community. These benefits largely comprise the protected area’s ecological functions, such as watershed protection, soil stabilization and erosion control, provision of clean water and associated filtration and storage functions, climate stabilization and carbon sequestration.
Protected areas conserve natural habitats and processes which are crucial in effective watershed management, such as: Reduce flooding by storing excess water and slowing water velocity , Treat waste water by breaking down and filtering toxins , Recharge groundwater , Avoid deforestation and reduce erosion, stabilizing soils , Eliminate impurities and maintain water quality through biological life cycles, Maintain perennial water levels, storing and releasing water continuously , Replenish well water levels for human and livestock consumption , Recycle nutrients , Reduce sedimentation by slowing surface runoff, thereby lessen silting of dams and stabilizing electricity production Effective watershed management also helps in reducing the cost of electricity production by avoiding excessive sedimentation levels which greatly reduce the lifespan of dams.
The successful hydropower production in Ethiopia is dependent on the continuous water flow to fill dams and reservoirs. Excessive deforestation increases the sediment levels of rivers and streams, thereby increasing the material accumulation in dams, effectively reducing power production as well as the lifespan of dams, not to mention the subsequent production losses by the industrial and manufacturing sector. Sedimentation of dams and reservoirs is reported to incur immense costs on the part of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO).
Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Protected areas assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They serve as effective natural barriers against the impact of climate change, mitigating flooding, changing precipitation patterns, landslides and storm surges and keep natural resources healthy and productive by protecting natural processes. Protected areas are one of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change as well as to adapt to the negative implication caused by climate change.
Much of the remaining natural habitat is contained within the Ethiopian Protected Area System, made up of wildlife and forest protected areas. These are unique in terms of their biodiversity and contain high levels of endemism, Kifle said.
However, the conservation of our protected areas is not only protecting wild animals and plants. They play an important role in the sustainable development of our national economy by providing environmental services such as a healthy environment in the form of clean water and air, the provision of water for irrigated agriculture and electricity production, the mitigation of climate change, opportunities for climate change adaptation, the continuous provision of medicinal plants and the protection of the gene pool of a globally important commodity, coffee, to name a few.
Hence, the benefits provided by protected areas go far beyond the boundaries of protected areas. In this view, the Ethiopian Government has realized that protected areas are not only about wild animals and plants but about people and their livelihoods. They play a pivotal role in the fight against poverty and sustainable rural development.
Consequently, the Government is following a strategy of involving rural communities, the private sector and non-governmental organizations in the management of protected areas in order to increase their management effectiveness and thereby maximize the benefits provided by protected areas to the national economy Kifle said.
Thus, the overall economic value of the protected area system comprises indirect benefits and environmental services in addition to direct benefits from the usage of protected areas which are currently minimal.
Deforestation Ethiopia has one of the highest deforestation rates on the globe, loosing about 2% of forest cover per annum, amounting to somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 hectares. Deforestation has an obvious impact on people who live in or close to forests decreasing the forest’s future capacity to produce timber and other forest products, fodder, fruits and medicinal plants.
However, the impact also extends to urban areas in the form of increased prices of fuelwood and timber due to the increasing scarcity of supplies. It is estimated that the impact of accelerating deforestation hits the rural and urban poor, who depend on forest products and medicinal plants without suitable alternatives.
Hence, deforestation affects the entire national economy, placing protection of the remaining natural forests on the highest agenda. Most protected areas are primarily created to conserve biodiversity, but there are many other important values which protected areas are increasingly being expected to deliver, such as social, economic and cultural benefits. Assurances that protected areas will provide such benefits are often crucial for attracting the support needed for their creation and sustenance, however delivering on these promises is seldom easy.
The Ethiopian Protected Area System has good potential to mitigate climate change by safeguarding the remaining natural forests and wetlands from over exploitation and conversion to other land uses. If Ethiopia manages its reserved areas, it would gain countless benefit from them and for this to happen stakeholders should work in an integrated manner.
The Ethiopian herald October 23/2021
