Planning for ecosystem services compensation in the central highlands of Ethiopia.

The rapid deterioration of the upper Akaki catchment natural environment has led to an increasing impact not only on the watershed ecosystem but also the livelihood and the general well-being of the local community. As a result, the water supply is becoming a problem for Addis Ababa and its surrounding residents. This may lead to a greater willingness to pay and cooperate in initiatives to protect the watersheds.

Impact of land use land cover changes on ecosystem service values in the Dire and Legedadi watersheds, central highlands of Ethiopia: Implication for landscape management decision making.

Land use land cover change in a landscape is the main driver of degradation in ecosystem goods and services. This study was aimed at analysing the dynamics of the LULC change in the catchments of the water supply reservoirs as well as the impact on the Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs) between 1985 and 2022. The benefit transfer method was used to evaluate ecosystem service value (ESV) changes in response to LULC.

Analysis of land suitability for apple-based agroforestry farming in Dire and Legedadi watersheds of Ethiopia: implication for ecosystem services.

This study was conducted to evaluate land suitability for apple farming in the Dire and Legedadi watersheds of the central highlands of Ethiopia. Attributes that determine apple growth were categorized into environmental, soil, climate, and land management factors. The land evaluation methodology developed by FAO (1976) was applied in six steps.

Community perceptions towards the impacts of ecotourism development in the central highlands of Ethiopia: the case of Lake Wanchi and its adjacent landscapes.

Scientific studies harmonizing biodiversity conservation, ecotourism development, and local livelihoods in areas of natural endowments have significant importance in the welfare of society. The objective of this study was to investigate the local community's perception of the impacts of the Wanchi Ecotourism Association (WETA) and test the relationship between these perceptions and some socio-demographic predictor variables. Data was collected using household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, field observations, and document analysis.

A global horizon scan of the future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on urban ecosystems.

Technology is transforming societies worldwide. A major innovation is the emergence of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS), which have the potential to revolutionize cities for both people and nature. Nonetheless, the opportunities and challenges associated with RAS for urban ecosystems have yet to be considered systematically.

Socio-economic importance of forest resources and their conservation measures in Ethiopia: the case of area closure in South Gonder of Ethiopia.

Area closures that set aside to degraded lands for rehabilitation purposes are a popular forest conservation measure in various parts of the world. However, their use can be controversial because, if poorly designed, they can accelerate the degradation of neighboring unprotected lands and deny local residents' access to important ecosystem services. This paper reports the results of a study on the area closure approach used in south Gonder within the Lake Tana watershed of Ethiopia to stem the rapid decline of vegetation cover that has occurred there over the last four decades.

Quantifying and mapping of water-related ecosystem services for enhancing the security of the food-water-energy nexus in tropical data-sparse catchment.

The food-water-energy nexus concept helps to produce an integrative solutions to secure the water-related ecosystem services sustainably. This study aims to quantify and map water provisioning and soil erosion regulating services from both demand and supply sides in a spatially explicit manner. It considers the Wabe River catchment of the Omo-Gibe Basin in tropical data-sparse region of East Africa as a case study and uses the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) annual and seasonal water yield and sediment delivery models.

Quantification and mapping of the supply of and demand for carbon storage and sequestration service in woody biomass and soil to mitigate climate change in the socio-ecological environment.

In this study, the supply of and demand for carbon storage and sequestration of woody biomass in the socio-ecological environment of the Wabe River catchment in Gurage Mountains, Ethiopia, were estimated. This information was subsequently integrated into a map that showed the balance between supply capacities and demand in a spatially explicit manner to inform planners and decision makers on methods used to manage local climate change. Field data for wood biomass and soil were collected, satellite images for land use and land cover (LULC) were classified, and secondary data from statistics and studies for estimation were obtained.

Detecting Trends in Landuse and Landcover Change of Nech Sar National Park, Ethiopia.

Nech Sar National Park (NSNP) is one of the most important biodiversity centers in Ethiopia. In recent years, a widespread decline of the terrestrial ecosystems has been reported, yet to date there is no comprehensive assessment on degradation across the park. In this study, changes in landcover were analyzed using 30 m spatial resolution Landsat imagery.