The Eucalyptus Dilemma: The Pursuit for Socio-economic Benefit versus Environmental Impacts of Eucalyptus in Ethiopia

Abstract

Eucalyptus is one of the most planted types of trees in the world, has been grown in Africa and elsewhere for over a century. The Ethiopia population is growing rapidly. The natural forest coverage and native forest tree species are decreasing in an alarming rate. There are many dilemmas among users, growers, environmentalists, researchers and policy makers on the ecological, socio-economic benefit and environmental impacts Eucalyptus. Ethiopia Farmers commonly plant eucalypts tree on their farmlands. Currently, growing eucalypt trees is becoming a great concern due to its socio-economic benefit and environmental impacts.In Ethiopia, where there are huge gaps between demand and supply of wood as a result of increasing deforestation, the use of fast growing plantation species such as eucalypts is unavoidable as they are preferred to other species, because of their peculiar features; these  include they require minimum care, fast growth and good quality of wood and fibres, easy reproduction  through  seeds, coppice  after  harvested, grow in wide ecological zones and poor environments;  resistant  to environmental  diseases and  stress and generates substantial  income to rural and urban households.On the other hand, Some of Eucalyptus impacts on the environment are: adverse effects of their leaf litter on soil humus, removal of too much water from farmlands, stream banks, catchments areas and underground water, heavy consumption of soil nutrients (deplete soil nutrients), failure to provide food supplies or adequate habitat for wildlife, inability to prevent soil erosion and inhibition of growth of other plants. Numerous study reports appeared that the benefits of Eucalyptus trees are far more than its negative impacts.Consequently, instead of complain whether to avoid plantation of Eucalyptus trees; emphasis should be given by the environmentalists, researchers and policy makers to support users and growers of Eucalyptus in selecting the appropriate place of plantation and species selection for the adequate uses and management on Eucalyptus planting, so that the environmental impacts are minimized and the socio- economic benefits of Eucalyptus were optimized. Therefore, this review paper briefly summarizes the socio-economic benefit and environmental Impacts of Eucalyptus trees.

Keywords: Eucalyptus Dilemma; Socio-economic benefit; Environmental Impacts; Ecological effects