Effects of land-use change on the socioecological system of wetlands: a case of Boyo Wetland, Ethiopia
Date
2024-12
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
Wetlands are essential life support systems that historically played a significant role in the growth of African human civilizations. In contemporary times, wetlands contribute billions of dollar’s worth of provisioning, regulatory, supporting, and cultural services to the Ethiopian people. Wetlands are, however, under excessive pressure mainly from land cover changes, a phenomenon underpinned by ecological and social system pressures. Boyo Wetland faces the socioecological threat of degradation due to conversion to agriculture and settlement areas. Against this backdrop, the overall aim of the study was to investigate the effects of land-use change on Ethiopian wetlands framed here as socioecological systems (SES), using Boyo Wetland as a case study. The objective was to elucidate the status of Boyo wetland as a socioecological system with the application of Ostrom’s Social-Ecological Systems Framework (SESF). A multi-method study was conducted using the SESF as an organising framework. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources. The main instruments included household surveys, stakeholder analysis, and focus group discussions. Biophysical measurements such as land cover change analysis, and field and laboratory identification of plants and birds constituted the rest of the data sources. The land cover change detection helped to identify six land cover types. Time series analysis showed that among land cover types, crop, and settlement (built-up area) cover increased by 844%, and 1 565%, respectively, with a significant decrease in 212.5% vegetation and 55.5% grazing land between 1975 to 2021 years. The biodiversity identification study indicated that the wetland possessed 66 plant species across 27 families and 110 species of birds categorised across 37 families. Biodiversity indices also indicated that the wetland is rich in diversity of plants and birds compared to many of the hitherto studied wetlands in the country. Results from the household surveys and focus group discussions confirmed that Boyo Wetland offers local people various direct livelihood contributions in the form of ecosystem services like water for crop and livestock production, and also serves as a source of livestock grazing and fuel wood production. Applying Ostrom’s SESF to diagnose problems associated with wetland SES degradation pointed to the primary causes of the problems. Challenges at Boyo Wetland are essentially the results of the misappropriation of subtractable collective goods such as biodiversity due to collective action problems such as overuse of resources like grass, compacting and trampling of the wetland in addition to heavy erosion and siltation. These together with weak institutional responses and limited maintenance of the resource system aggravate the degradation. Major stakeholders and their characteristics such as knowledge, interest, power, and leadership capacity were identified, where the lack of appropriate lead institutions that could coordinate participatory governance and stakeholders' collaboration towards the common goal of protecting the wetland were among the major barriers to Boyo Wetland management. With the present state of socioecological management, the sustainability of the wetland is at stake. Finally, a strategy for sustainable use of the wetland has been developed in collaboration with major actors and is presented as part of the study.
Description
Thesis (PhDConsEcol)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.