More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia

Despite global commitments to forest restoration, evidence of the pathways through which restoration creates social and ecological benefits remains limited. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence to generate insights on the relationship between forest cover change and key provi...

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Main Authors: Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.-Y., Baudron, Frédéric, Gergel, Sarah E., Yang, K.F., Eddy, I.M.S., Sunderland, T.C.H.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113667
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author Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.-Y.
Baudron, Frédéric
Gergel, Sarah E.
Yang, K.F.
Eddy, I.M.S.
Sunderland, T.C.H.
author_browse Baudron, Frédéric
Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.-Y.
Eddy, I.M.S.
Gergel, Sarah E.
Sunderland, T.C.H.
Yang, K.F.
author_facet Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.-Y.
Baudron, Frédéric
Gergel, Sarah E.
Yang, K.F.
Eddy, I.M.S.
Sunderland, T.C.H.
author_sort Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.-Y.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Despite global commitments to forest restoration, evidence of the pathways through which restoration creates social and ecological benefits remains limited. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence to generate insights on the relationship between forest cover change and key provisioning ecosystem services and reforestation pathways. In Southern Ethiopia, three zones along a gradient of decreasing land cover complexity and tree cover were examined. The land cover change was assessed using satellite remote sensing and complemented ground‐based tree inventory. Perceptions of land cover and ecosystem services change and farmer responses were evaluated through three Participatory Rural Appraisals and eight Focus Group Discussions. Since the 1970s, a landscape shift from a forest‐grassland to a cropland mosaic was associated with increased food production, improved food security, and higher incomes. However, this shift also coincided with reductions in livestock, construction materials, fuelwood and water availability, prompting reforestation efforts designed to recover some of these lost ecosystem services. In particular, some households established Eucalyptus woodlots and encouraged natural regeneration. Natural trees, Eucalyptus woodlots, Ensete plantations (a type of plantain), and grasslands were positively associated with homestead proximity; thus, homestead establishment resulting from population increase in this predominately agricultural landscape appeared to foster a viable forest restoration pathway—that is, 'more people, more trees'. This is a reforestation pathway not previously described in the literature. A return to a more diverse agricultural landscape mosaic provided more secure and diversified income sources along with better provisioning of construction materials, fuelwood, and higher livestock numbers.
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spelling CGSpace1136672024-06-26T09:37:10Z More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.-Y. Baudron, Frédéric Gergel, Sarah E. Yang, K.F. Eddy, I.M.S. Sunderland, T.C.H. land reform forest conservation reforestation ecological restoration Despite global commitments to forest restoration, evidence of the pathways through which restoration creates social and ecological benefits remains limited. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence to generate insights on the relationship between forest cover change and key provisioning ecosystem services and reforestation pathways. In Southern Ethiopia, three zones along a gradient of decreasing land cover complexity and tree cover were examined. The land cover change was assessed using satellite remote sensing and complemented ground‐based tree inventory. Perceptions of land cover and ecosystem services change and farmer responses were evaluated through three Participatory Rural Appraisals and eight Focus Group Discussions. Since the 1970s, a landscape shift from a forest‐grassland to a cropland mosaic was associated with increased food production, improved food security, and higher incomes. However, this shift also coincided with reductions in livestock, construction materials, fuelwood and water availability, prompting reforestation efforts designed to recover some of these lost ecosystem services. In particular, some households established Eucalyptus woodlots and encouraged natural regeneration. Natural trees, Eucalyptus woodlots, Ensete plantations (a type of plantain), and grasslands were positively associated with homestead proximity; thus, homestead establishment resulting from population increase in this predominately agricultural landscape appeared to foster a viable forest restoration pathway—that is, 'more people, more trees'. This is a reforestation pathway not previously described in the literature. A return to a more diverse agricultural landscape mosaic provided more secure and diversified income sources along with better provisioning of construction materials, fuelwood, and higher livestock numbers. 2021-02-15 2021-05-07T07:14:20Z 2021-05-07T07:14:20Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113667 en Open Access Wiley Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.Y., Baudron, F., Gergel, S.E., Yang, K.F., Eddy, I.M. and Sunderland, T., 2021. More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia. Land Degradation & Development, 32(3): 1440-1451. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3806
spellingShingle land reform
forest conservation
reforestation
ecological restoration
Duriaux‐Chavarría, J.-Y.
Baudron, Frédéric
Gergel, Sarah E.
Yang, K.F.
Eddy, I.M.S.
Sunderland, T.C.H.
More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia
title More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia
title_full More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia
title_fullStr More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia
title_short More people, more trees: A reversal of deforestation trends in Southern Ethiopia
title_sort more people more trees a reversal of deforestation trends in southern ethiopia
topic land reform
forest conservation
reforestation
ecological restoration
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113667
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