Department of Geoinformatics, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, 574199, India.
Department of Marine Geology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, 574 199, India.
Environ Monit Assess. 2020 Sep 30;192(10):664. doi: 10.1007/s10661-020-08628-0.
Watershed degradation in Ethiopia has become a major environmental threat and caused significant damages both in the natural environment and the development of human society. This paper assesses an overview of the extent, causes, and effects of watershed degradation and the management actions in north-western highland Ethiopia, taking the Rib watershed as a case study site. The data were collected from field observations, interviews, and questionnaire surveys administered to 210 farmers. The results show that watershed degradation is a serious and widespread problem in the study site. The major causes of watershed degradation include population growth, uncontrolled grazing, unsustainable land use and management practices, and weak land ownership system. Watershed degradation, mainly in the form of soil erosion, has adversely reduced agricultural production and worsened food insecurity and poverty in the study area. Various watershed management practices that combine structural and biological measures have been practiced to curb the problem. However, the farmers' decisions to adopt and implement the measures have been highly influenced by a range of socioeconomic, biophysical, and institutional factors. Access to support services, size of the farmland, educational level, and plot ownership were found to influence farmers' decisions positively at a statistically significant (P < 0.01) level. It needs efforts to create farmer environmental awareness and develop strong watershed management standards and guidelines. The watershed could benefit from hand in hand efforts of local farmers, concerned governmental agencies, and researchers.
埃塞俄比亚的流域退化已成为主要的环境威胁，对自然环境和人类社会的发展造成了重大损害。本文评估了埃塞俄比亚西北部高地流域退化的程度、原因和影响，并以里布流域为例进行了研究。数据来自实地观察、访谈和问卷调查，共调查了 210 名农民。结果表明，流域退化是研究地点的一个严重和普遍存在的问题。流域退化的主要原因包括人口增长、无控制放牧、不可持续的土地利用和管理做法以及薄弱的土地所有制制度。流域退化主要表现为土壤侵蚀，严重降低了农业生产，加剧了研究区的粮食不安全和贫困问题。为了遏制这一问题，已经实施了各种结合结构和生物措施的流域管理做法。然而，农民对这些措施的采用和实施的决策受到一系列社会经济、生物物理和体制因素的高度影响。获得支持服务、农田规模、教育水平和土地所有权被发现对农民的决策有积极影响，在统计学上具有显著意义（P < 0.01）。需要努力提高农民的环境意识，制定强有力的流域管理标准和准则。流域可以从当地农民、有关政府机构和研究人员的共同努力中受益。
