Land Use/Land Cover Change in Chano Area and the Impact of Human Factors on the Benefits of the Wetland Ecosystem of Lake Abaya Land Use/Land Cover Change in Chano Area and the Impact of Human Factors on the Benefits of the Wetland Ecosystem of Lake Abaya, Southern Ethiopia Land Use/Land Cover Change in Chano Area and the Impact of Human Factors on the Benefits of the Wetland Ecosystem

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.