Environmental issues in Ethiopia

As in many neighboring countries, most environmental issues in Ethiopia relate to deforestation and endangered species.

Geological issues

The Great Rift Valley is geologically active and susceptible to earthquakes. Hot springs and active volcanoes are found in its extreme east close to the Red Sea. Elsewhere, the land is subject to erosion, overgrazing, deforestation, and frequent droughts. Water shortages are common in some areas during the dry season. The causes of degradation are primarily the demand for more land for cultivation, fuel and construction as well as for grazing grounds.

Endangered animals

Ethiopian Wolf

The Ethiopian Wolf is one of the most rare and endangered of all canids. The numerous names reflect previous uncertainties about their taxonomic position, but they are now thought to be related to the wolves of the genus "Canis", rather than foxes they resemble. Recent molecular evidence even seems to indicate that the Ethiopian Wolf is a descendant of the Gray Wolf. As a result, Ethiopian Wolves are the only wolves in Africa.

Gelada Baboons

Although not listed as endangered, only 50,000-60,000 Geladas are known to exist. Hunting and habitat destruction have forced the Gelada into areas formerly inhabited only by the Olive Baboon, and hybridisation between the two species has been observed. In addition, in the southern part of the Amhara Plateau, Gelada males are periodically killed in order to use their manes in a coming-of-age ceremony.Fact|date=February 2007 The loss of much of the adult male population on a regular basis has disrupted the recovery of this population.

Ethiopian lions

Experts say only 1,000 Abyssinian lions (panthera leo abyssinica) remain in Ethiopia. Despite concern amongst conservationists, a 60-year-old zoo is selling lion cubs to taxidermists because they are unable to feed the cats and lack room to house them. Ethiopia's black lions are being culled and sold to taxidermists by an Ethiopian zoo, despite the continuing threat to the long-term survival of the species. Financial burden and zoo space has resulted in the cull of the Abyssinian lion population, according to the administrator of Addis Ababa's zoo.

Muhedin Abdulaziz, the zoo's administrator, said his US $64,000 budget was simply not enough to provide for more than 16 adult lions, which cannot be reintroduced to the wild.‎ "There is a shortage of place and a shortage of budget and when they are over-populated, most of the time we send them to taxidermists," Muhedin said.

"It is not really good, but we do this is because of the problems we have," he said.

"For the time being our immediate solution is to send them to the taxidermists, but the final and best solution is to extend the zoo into a wider area," Muhedin said.Fact|date=March 2007

Bodies sold

The Abyssinia lions, or "Panthera leo abyssinica", are smaller than their east African cousins and the males have distinguishable black manes.

The culling is done by a veterinarian who kills the cubs with poison. The bodies are sold for about US $175 each to taxidermists who then retail the stuffed lions for US $400.

The zoo, built in 1949 during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, was intended to rear the animals for exhibition as symbols of his rule. Selassie was ousted in 1974 by a pro-Soviet Marxist-Leninist military junta.

"We have two rooms for eight cubs, but when they grow we have to send them to the taxidermist, we don't have any other alternative."

Currently, there are 15 adult lions and three cubs at Addis Ababa zoo, which receives up to 1,200 visitors daily.

The director of the wildlife division of Ethiopia's agriculture ministry said he had no idea the lions were being culled.

Deforestation

Generally deforestation in Ethiopia occurs when locals clear forests for their personal needs, such as for fuel, hunting, agriculture, housing development, and at times for religious reasons (Sucoff 2003). The main causes of deforestation in Ethiopia are shifting agriculture, livestock production and fuel in drier areas (Sucoff 2003). Deforestation is the process of removing the forest ecosystem by cutting the trees and changing the shape of the land to suit different uses (Sucoff 2003).

Ethiopia has the second largest population in Africa and has been hit by famine many times due to rain shortages and a depletion of natural resources. Deforestation may have further lowered the already meagre rainfall. Bercele Bayisa, a 30 year old Ethiopian farmer said “his district was very forested and full of wildlife but, overpopulation cased people to come to this fertile land and clear it to plant crops, cutting all trees to sell as fire wood” (Haileselassie 2004). Growing populations are increasing deforestation which is leading the country to famine. As the population continues to grow, the needs of the people increase. The country has lost 98% of its forested regions in the last 50 years (Parry 2003).

Forests in Ethiopia play a big role in protecting erosion, as tree roots protect against washouts. Trees also help to keep water in the soil and reduce global warming by uptake of carbon dioxide. Because there are not enough trees, the Blue Nile is carrying all the soil and nutrients in the water to the neighboring countries of Sudan and Egypt, where the land is very fertile.

Historically, forests have been very important for the livelihoods of the people of Ethiopia. They used the trees for lumber for construction, and to fuel their cooking fires. They also made traditional medicines from trees and other forest plants. Forests were also important in Ethiopian religious beliefs; the people believed in holy spirits in the forest that they treat the same as human beings. Mitchell Page states that over 6603 plant species live in Ethiopia, of which approximately one fifth are not native to other countries.

At the beginning of the twentieth century around 420,000 square kilometres (35% of Ethiopia’s land) was covered by trees but recent research indicates that forest cover is now less than 14.2% due to population growth. Despite the growing need for forested lands, lack of education among locals has led to a continuing decline of forested areas. (Parry 2003).

Horrific famines occurred in Ethiopia during the 1970s and 1980s, especially in the northern part of the country where there was a bad drought. Thousands of people died. Deforestation can exacerbate the problems caused by drought because rains are less likely to soak into the soil and replenish ground water.

Ethiopia loses 1,410 km² of natural forests each year for many reasons. If the number continues to grow, the future of the country will be bleak. Currently the total amount of the country’s land covered by forest is 130,000 km² of land (11.9% of the total area)( Mongabay 2006). Between 1990 and 2005 the country actually lost 14% of its forest or 21,000 km², and that indicates that deforestation increased by 10.4% from 1990-2005. Because of deforestation, the population of the wild animals in the country is declining. Previously the country has around 6,603 species of plants, 839 birds, 205 mammals 288 reptiles and 76 amphibians (Mongabay 2006).

In rural areas, the government realized that if the deforestation continues the overall condition of the country will worsen. Because of that, the government has begun teaching the people about the benefits of forests and encouraging the people to plant more trees and to protect what they have by providing them alternative home and agricultural materials. If any person cuts a tree, he or she needs to plant one to replace it. Basically, the current government and people are working hard together to make their country a better place.

Prohibiting the people to cut trees, especially those who live in rural parts of the country will actually hurt their daily life since it makes meeting their daily needs more difficult. The government is trying to provide them with things such as fuel and electrical machinery so that the demand for forest resources is not as high. The government is also providing land which is flat and has no pre-existing forests to promote agriculture so that deforestation is not necessary for modern agriculture (Maddox 2006).

Government and deforestation

There are governmental and nonprofit groups working with the government to protect the land. Organizations such as SOS and Farm Africa are working with the federal government and local governments to create a good system of forest management (Parry 2003). The government is also working to relocate people who live in dry regions to places where they can find fertile land for farming, so that they would be able to support themselves without any assistance from the government. With the fund provided by E.C grant (around 2.3 million Euros) people were trained to protect the land from erosion and taught to use water for irrigation, which improved quality of life and the environment (Parry 2003). Locals have now come to the realization that trees need legal recognition, and must be protected for future generations. One of the methods used to protect trees is to designate certain areas where trees may be chopped down and used, and other areas where trees are protected by law (Parry 2003).

References

* Haileselassie, A. (2004) “Ethiopia’s struggle over land reform,” "World press Review" 51.4 , 32(2). Expanded Academic ASAP.
* Hillstrom, K. & Hillstrom, C. (2003). "Africa and the Middle east; a continental Overview of Environmental Issues". Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
* Maddox, G.H. (2006). "Sub-Saharan Africa: An environmental history". Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
* McCann.J.C.(1990). "A Great Agrarian cycle? Productivity in Highland Ethiopia, 1900 - 1987," "Journal of Interdisciplinary History", 20:3, pp. 389-416. (Retrieved November 18, 2006 from JSTOR database)
* McCann, J.C. (1999). "Green land, Brown land, Black land: An environmental history of Africa 1800-1990". Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
* Mongabay.com [http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Ethiopia.htm "Ethiopia statistics."] (Retrieved November 18, 2006)
* Parry, J (2003). "Tree choppers become tree planters," "Appropriate Technology", 30(4), 38-39. Retrieved November 22, 2006, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 538367341)
* Parry, K (2003) "Perceptions of forest cover and tree planting and ownership in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia” "unasylva", vol 54 Iss: 213 (2003), pp. 18(2).
* Sucoff, E. (2003). "Deforestation", "Environmental Encyclopedia", at pp.358-359. Detroit: Gale.
* Williams, M.(2006). "Deforesting the earth: From prehistory to global crisis: An Abridgment." Chicago: University Press.

External links

* [http://www.wildcru.org/research/es/ewolf.htm WildCRU - Conservation of Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis)] University of Oxford Department of Zoology website
* [http://www.oromiagov.org/tourism.asp Eco-Tourism and Wildlife in Oromo territory]