CHALLENGES AND OPPORTIUNITES OF WETLANDS: THE CASE OF CHLELEKA WETLANDS, SOUTH ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Cheleleka wetland is situated in Lake Hawassa Watershed of Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. It has been contributing significant role in providing ecosystem functions and producing a number of products and services-that are socially and economically important to the local community. The study was conducted to assess the challenges and opportunities of Cheleleka Wetland; Different methods were used to collect primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected from 156 farm household; interviews and focus group discussions with different social groups, and key informants .The sample respondents were drawn from 3 kebeles adjacent to the Cheleleka wetlands. Moreover, land use/land cover change detection analysis was also made using satellite images (1985, 2000, and 2016) and ground truth. The result indicates that more than 83% of people depend on the wetlands for different types of subsistence. In recent years, however, these wetlands are degrading progressively due to natural and human factors. Farmland expansion, over use of water for irrigation and other development intervention like industrial zone expansion are among the major threats of wetland management. The land use/land cover change detection analysis of satellite images between 1985 and 2016 depicts that the wetland under the study is continually converted to farm lands. Mainly, grassland and Lake Cheleleka around the Cheleleka wetland were also reduced from 83.74% in 1985 to 28.23% in 2016 and Settlement from 0.00% in 1985 to 0.20% in 2016 respectively. Despite, the high dependence of the local people on Cheleleka wetland resources for their livelihood; however, these resources are under continuous threats. Managing the wetland on the basis of basin concepts and involving local people in alternative income generating activity has been suggested as a means of reducing pressure on land use and also reducing the threat to Cheleleka wetlands .Furthermore, the local policy working on wetlands promulgations of regulations to govern wetland uses, integrated planning for water, land, resources utilization as well as wetland change detection are recommended for future regeneration of the resource.