Impacts of Watershed Interventions on the Status of Bush Encroachment, Rangeland Productivity and Herbaceous Species Composition in the Rangelands in Borena Pastoralist Dry Land Area

Authors

  • Galma Dabbaso Waariyo Borana zone Gomole woreda, Oromia region, Ethiopia , Department of Natural Resource Management, Bule Hora University, Bule Hora Ethiopia

Keywords:

Rangeland, Bush encroachment, Watershed management

Abstract

Rangeland systems of arid and semi-arid tropics are characterized by highly variable and low rainfall, low primary productivity, low population density, highly variable and low rainfall, lack of access to market and infrastructure and high transaction costs. Livestock production in these areas is also constrained by low productivity, degraded natural resources and widespread poverty. A watershed, or catchment, is defined as an area from which all water drains into a common outlet. The Borana pastoralists developed exceptionally efficient system of range land management strategies like fire regulated tree-grass dynamic and herd mobility appropriate to deal with the erratic rain fall in the dry lands. Description of study area: This study was under taken in pastoral districts of borana zone, more focus on Moyale, Dhas, Dillo, Dirre and Yabello districts of the Borana zone of Oromia Regional State. A vegetation survey was conducted at peak production seasons. The watershed was stratified into intervention watershed village (IWV) and non-intervention watershed village (NIWV).  The data collected from the socioeconomic survey was summarized and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 (Statistical package for social science) software. From results As a consequence pastoralists could get various advantages such as reducing the effects of diseases outbreak, cope with feed and water shortages. Conclusion The major livestock feed resources were natural pasture, bushes and shrubs, crop residues, crop aftermath and fallow land. Recommendations Reducing livestock number by providing market facilities and improving productivity per head could decrease the contribution of overgrazing and expansion of bush encroachment. Therefore the overall objective of the present study was to assess the impacts of watershed management on the status of bush encroachment, rangeland productivity and herbaceous species composition in the borana rangelands.

References

Abule, E., Snyman, H.A., Smit, G.N., (2007). Rangeland evaluation in the middle awash valley of Ethiopia: II. Woody vegetation Journal of Arid Environments, 70,272-292,

Adisu, A. (2009). Bush Encroachment and its Impacts on Plant Biodiversity in the Borana Rangeland. MSc Thesis. Addis Ababa University - Addis Ababa.

Angassa, A., & Oba, G., (2008a).Effects of management and time on mechanisms of bush encroachment in southern Ethiopia. African Journal of Ecology 46, 186–196.

Ayana Angassa (2002). The Effect of Clearing Bushes and Shrubs on Range Condition in Borana, Ethiopia, J. Trop. Grasslands 36: 69-76.

Ayana Angassa (2012). Bush encroachment control demonstration and management implication on herbaceous species in savannas of southern Ethiopia, Tropical and Subtropical Agro ecosystems 15: 173-185.

Azene B, Ann B, Bo T (1993). Useful Trees and Shrubs for Ethiopia: Identification, Propagation and Management for agricultural and Pastoral communities. Technical hand book No 5.

Barrow, C.J. (1991). Land Degradation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Coppock, D.L., 1994. The Borana Plateau of Southern Ethiopia: Synthesis of Pastoral Research, Development and Changes 1980–1990.International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Dalton, D. R., Hitt, M. A., CAI erto, S. T. and Dalton, C. M. (2007):‘The fundamental agency problem and its mitigation: independence, equity and the market for corporate control’. Academy of Management Annals, 1, 1–64.

De Klerk, J.N. (2004): Bush Encroachment in Namibia. Report on Phase 1 of the Bush Encroachment Research, Monitoring and Management Project Ministry of Environment and Tourism Windhoek.

Flinton F and Cullis A, (2010): Introductory guidelines to participatory rangeland management in pastoral areas. A compiled document with members of the natural resource management technical working group, Ethiopia

Gemedo Dalle, Mass, B.L and Isselstein, J.(2006).Encroachment of Woody Plants and its Impacts on the Pastoral Livestock Production in the Borana Lowlands, Southern Oromia, Ethiopia. Africa Journal of Ecology, 44: 237-246.

Interim, D.R. and Rules, H., (2005).Watershed management IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.x + 132 pp. Peterson, Garry; Allen, Craig R.;and Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR). Rift Valley Lakes Basin Integrated Resources Development Master Plan Study Project, 2009.

Knoop, W.T. (1982). Interactions of Woody and Herbaceous Vegetation in the Two Savanna Communities at Nylsvley, Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Lishan T., (2007). Woody and Herbaceous Species Composition and the Condition of the Rangeland in Shinile zone of Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. MSc Thesis, Haramaya University, Ethiopia

Lukomska, N., M. F. Quaas and S. Baumgartner.( 2010). Bush encroachment control and risk management in semi-arid rangeland. University of Lüneburg, Working Paper Series in Economics, pp 191,

Markakis, J. (2004) Pastoralism on the margin. Minority Rights Group International

Moore, S.B. Chapman (Eds.), Methods in Plant Ecology. Blackwell Scientific Publication Oxford, London, pp: 285–344, 1986.

Murphy R, (1996) GLE2, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologue of the Schizosac charomycespom be export factor RAE1, is required for nuclear pore complex structure and function. Mol Biol Cell 7(12):1921-37

Ndikumana, J., Stuth, J.W., Kamadi, R., Kamadi, S., Ossiya, R., Marambii and Hamlett, P. (2001), Coping mechanisms and their efficacy in disaster-prone pastoral systems of the greater horn of Africa: effects of the 1995–97 droughts and the 1997–98 El-nino and the responses of pastoralists and livestock

Oba, G., Post, E., Syvertsen, P.O., and Stenseth, N.C. (2000):.Bush Cover and Range Condition Assessment in Relation to Landscape and Grazing in Southern Ethiopia. Landscape Ecology.15:534-546.

Oba, G., Vetaas, O.R. & Stenseth, N.C. (2001): Relationships between biomass and plant species richness in arid-zone grazing lands. Journal of Applied Ecology: 38, 836846.

Puskur, R, J. Bouma, and C. Scott, (2004): Sustainable livestock production in semi-arid watersheds. Economic and Political weekly: 3477-3483: Savannas Afri. J. Rang. And Foora. Sci, 22: 101-105.

Shiferaw, B., Bantilan, C. and Wani, S.P. (2006) Policy and institutional issues and impacts of integrated watershed management: experience and lessons from Asia., India, pp. 37–52

Smit, N.G. (2005): Tree Thinning as an Option to Increase Herbaceous Yield of an Encroached Semi-Arid Savanna in South Africa. J. BMC Ecol. 5: 4.

Solomon, S, Greenberg J, & Pyszczynski, T. (1991).A terror management theory of social behavior: The psychological functions of self-esteem and cultural worldviews. In M. E. P. Zanna,(Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 21, pp. 261-302). San Diego, CA: Academic Press: Stream and Riparian Ecosystems in the Western United States Soil and Water.

Vetter, S., Goqwana, W.N., Bond, W.J and Trollope, W.W. (2006), Effects of Land Tenure, Geology and Topography on Vegetation and Soils of Two Grassland Types in South Africa. Afri. J. of Rang and For a. Sci. 23: 13-27.

Wani SP, Sreedevi TK, Reddy TSV, Venkateswarlu B and Prasad CS. (2008): Community

Water for Life a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture International Water Management Institute earth scan London uK. Watersheds for improved livelihoods through consortium approach in drought prone rain-fed areas. Journal of hydrological research and development 23:55-77.

Wu, AH, Yu MC, Tseng CC, Pike MC. Epidemiology of soy exposures and breast cancer risk. Br J Cancer.2008; 98:9–14

Downloads

Published

2019-10-08

How to Cite

Waariyo , G. D. . (2019). Impacts of Watershed Interventions on the Status of Bush Encroachment, Rangeland Productivity and Herbaceous Species Composition in the Rangelands in Borena Pastoralist Dry Land Area. International Journal of Applied Sciences: Current and Future Research Trends, 3(01), 1–15. Retrieved from https://ijascfrtjournal.isrra.org/index.php/Applied_Sciences_Journal/article/view/1139

Issue

Section

Articles