IMPACT OF URBAN EXPANSION ON FOREST RESOURCES: THE CASE OF BIRBIR TOWN, GAMO GOFFA ZONE, SNNPR, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study has been required to assess the impact of urban expansion on forest resources in Birbir town GamoGoffa zone. Throughout the world, we find human being residing either in urban or rural or in between- peri-urban or peri-rural. Both urban and rural areas are counter competing whereas the area between is the field of contest. As it is concomitant with socio -economic development, urbanization has a higher level of development in developed nations than under developed ones .In Ethiopia, although its level is the lowest even among other under developed nations, its rate, however, is the highest and made a country one of the fast urbanizing country in the World. As a matter of this fact, Birbir town is among the SNNPR urban settings experiencing high rate of urbanization through expansion. Birbir is one of the rapidly urbanizing towns in GamoGoffa zone. However, an empirical evidence of the impact of urbanization on its surrounding forest is scanty. This study has been conducted with the objectives of assessing the impacts of horizontal urban expansion on forest resources, investigate the current consumption of forest products at household level, and assess the spatial pattern of forest cover in the study area and evaluating the challenges encountered to ensure sustainability of forest resource. To meet the objective both qualitative and quantitative approaches of research design were employed. A household survey was conducted on 96 households sampled through random sampling and systematic sampling techniques. Primary data had been collected through questionnaire, interview, direct observation and focus group discussion while the secondary one was from different written and documented sources. Through the use of SPSS software’s, the researcher analyzed the data using descriptive and inferential statistics. According to the respondents’ high rate of natural increase (84.4 percent), rural to urban migration (86.5 percent) are the causes for urban expansion in the study area. There is also a decreasing trend of forest cover in the study area by 0.93 percent per year. Thus, the forest resource of the town was at the verge of risk. This negative effect was attributed mainly to lack of urban fuel wood consumption, construction material, low awareness, low income, population growth & lack of effective rules and regulations on protecting forest resources. Moreover, failures to relate forestry policy to overall development, lack of commitment at individual and organizational level in forest conservation are some of prevailing constraints of forest resources. Therefore, it is suggested that among other things, there is a need to curtail the problem, involving stakeholders, particularly, individuals, NGOs, local government in to urban forest development plans and projects, providing affordable to fuel wood, there should also be existence of effective rules and regulations.