Deforestation in Ethiopia: Causes, Impacts and Remedy

  Tigabu Dinkayoh Gebru

Ethiopia is an agrarian country with a great topographic range from 110m below sea level at Dalol Depression to 4620m above sea level at Mount Ras Dashin. Because of its topographic variation and location in the tropics, Ethiopia has diverse climate conditions and the resulting diverse ecosystems. As a result, the country is well endowed in natural resources. However, deforestation has gone for the last five decades. Forests which were above 40% of the country’s landmass in the beginning of 20th century are reduced into 2.36% in 2000. The main causes are agricultural expansion; the increasing demand for construction material, industrial use, fuel wood and charcoal; lack of a forest protection and conservation policy; absence of a strong forest administration system capable of arresting the rapidly increasing rate of deforestation; lack of effort to ensure the participation of communities in forest protection and conservation and the sharing of benefits, and failure to clearly demarcate and enforce the boundaries of natural forest reserves. Currently, the remaining forests are found in South Western Ethiopia. In northern highlands, one couldn’t find forests except old-aged Afromontane forests around the churches and in some inaccessible areas. However, other areas have been completely destroyed and converted to farms and grazing lands. At present there are efforts that the government and local communities are employing. Establishment of protected and forest priority areas, as well as protecting the sacred forest sites and introducing new energy efficient stoves are attempts taken to protect forests in the country. Rehabilitation of forests through afforestation, reforestation and area enclosures with participatory forest management practices are another conservation efforts that the government is implementing. Thus, this review aims to demonstrate the cause and impact of deforestation as well as remedial actions and indicate conservation measures being taken in response to deforestation.

Keywords- Causes, Deforestation, Ethiopia, Impacts, Remedy

Unique Identification Number - IJEDR1602035
Page Number(s) - 204-209
Pubished in - Volume 4 | Issue 2 | April 2016
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) -   
Publisher - IJEDR (ISSN - 2321-9939)

  Tigabu Dinkayoh Gebru,   "Deforestation in Ethiopia: Causes, Impacts and Remedy", International Journal of Engineering Development and Research (IJEDR), ISSN:2321-9939, Volume.4, Issue 2, pp.204-209, April 2016, Available at :http://www.ijedr.org/papers/IJEDR1602035.pdf