Challenges and Opportunities of Degraded Land Rehabilitation in Northeastern Ethiopia: An Implication for Livelihood and Ecosystem Services Improvement

Abstract

Struggling land degradation is an international precedence with its strictness in developing countries. Despite, all rehabilitation efforts, land degradation is continuing with an aggregate rates in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing challenges and opportunities of degraded land rehabilitation in Northeastern Ethiopia: an implication for livelihood and ecosystem services improvement. A multistage sampling method was used. Interviews, focus group discussion, key informant interview and informal discussions were made. Besides, field walks, field observation, and preliminary survey were conducted to identify the types of plants used for rehabilitation of degraded land and the success of rehabilitation practices in the area. The descriptive statistics such as mean, range, frequencies, and percentages were used. Majority of respondents (97.5%) perceive that there is land degradation problem in the study area. Moreover, 77.9% of respondents perceive that land degradation might be rehabilitated though it takes time. About 65.5%, 19.5%, 6.5%, and 4.5 of the respondents replied soil erosion, deforestation, overgrazing, and reduction of land productivity as the main forms of land degradation in their locality, respectively. Majority of respondents (68.5%) stated that rehabilitation practices previously carried out in the study area were not successful. Lack of follow-up by the implementing agencies, lack of watering, tending and protection of rehabilitated site from free grazing were among challenges that makes rehabilitation practice unsuccessful in the study area. Besides, low sense of ownership of rehabilitated site by the communities, poor seedling survival, land tenure & institutional problems, socio-economic problems and availability of limited livelihood options and higher degradation level of the site to be rehabilitated were reported as challenges that affect success of rehabilitation measures. However, the presence of willingness of communities to participate, presence of multi-purpose plants, government attention, involvement of various stockholders, and presence of diversified types of agro-ecologies for plant survival and huge degraded areas to be rehabilitated are among opportunities for rehabilitation of degraded land. It is concluded that rehabilitation efforts could not be successful unless those challenges are addressed. Therefore, frequent follow-up and applying tending operations, control of free grazing, planting edible trees for livelihood benefits and creating sense of ownership are strongly suggested to increase success of rehabilitation practices.

Keywords: ecosystem rehabilitation, ecosystem services, follow-up, free grazing, livelihoods

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/14-5-04

Publication date: April 30^th 2023