Abstract:
Nowadays, depletion of ecosystems and their services is a vital problem especially in
developing countries like Ethiopia where the peoples’ livelihood is highly linked with
the direct exploitation of ecosystem goods and services. The objective of this study was
to analyze LU/LC dynamics, its drivers, the benefits, and challenges of the wetland
ecosystem of Abaya. Data required for this study were acquired from satellite images
and also through administration of questionnaire on134 sample households, interview,
and FGD at Chano Keble’s. Satellite image of the study area for periods 1986, 2000 and
2010 were analyzed via ERDAS 3.6 and also change detections were made within 1986
– 2000 and 2000 - 2010. The result showed that, uniquely, while forest cover revealed
an increasing trend in period (1986 – 2000about 36.99%and 2000 - 2010about3.70%),
while cultivated land and settlement experienced declining trendby the respective
proportions of – 1.87%and- 59.63% within1986 – 2000 period. The common driving
forces for this LULCC were an increase in the trend of tree cropping like banana,
mango, etc.
However, fish and sookewoodland resources were declining. Human factors were the
major variables that threatened the wetland ecosystem. Scarcity of farmland, shortage of
grazing land, increasing demand for energy consumption, lack of awareness on wetland
resource, open access resource, greedy nature of people, and others were the specific
causes for encroachment of people into the wetland resources. Therefore, it is advisable
for the Ethiopian government to provide attention in terms of policy issues on wetland
resources; other concerned bodies should work in coordination in order to formulate
feasible rules of by-lawand it is also advisable for concerned bodies to aware the local
people about wetland resources, legalize illegal fishermen, and limit open access to
resources so that the bottlenecks on the sustainability of the wetland ecosystem are
going to be surmounted.
