Vegetation Atlas Development

Background and Justification

Ethiopia is one of the most physically and biologically diverse countries in the world. It is the country of great geographical diversity with high & rugged mountains, flat topped plateaux, deep canyons, incised river valleys & rolling plains. The altitude ranges from the highest peak at mount Ras-Dejen (4620 masl) to below sea level Kobat Sink around Afar depression, Dalol, at about 110 mbsl (FGRC- document: June 21-22, 1999).

The biological resources of Ethiopia are distributed widely throughout the country representing the different biomes including the Afro Tropical Highlands, the Sudano-Guinean, the Sahel-Transition zones & the Somali-Massai biomes resulting in biological diversity of global value Demel T. (2000). It is due to the aforementioned physical and biological diversity that N.L. Vavilov, the Russian plant collector, placed Ethiopia as one of the 12 plant domestication centers of the world (IBCR)

There are number of nationally prioritized biodiversity centers and protected areas in Ethiopia. These include the nine national parks embracing the Semien and Bale mountain national parks within, which are the global heritage sites as the only natural habitats for Ethiopian Wolf and Mountain Nyala.  The two neighboring Shala and Abijata national parks in the Great Rift Valley are also the other important wetland areas of global importance. Different birds (including Pelicans from Eurasia) migrate regularly every winter to these lakes.  The two lakes are about a km apart from each other. Hence, Abijata serves these birds as a feeding habitat while Shala is the breeding and resident site chosen for its safety due to the absence of predators as it is the deepest lake in Ethiopia without much life.

Causes of Environmental Degradation in Ethiopia

Unfortunately, the pressure on even these protected areas is immense that, if the trend is not reversed soon, loss of these resources and hence extinction of many invaluable fauna and flora species is inevitable in the very near future (Walia magazine, 1998). Habitat degradation and genetic erosion are at the center of this loss. Like in many developing countries the major population of Ethiopia depends on direct extraction of goods and services from natural environments to support their subsistent livelihood, for virtually every need in their daily life. Their day-to-day activities which puts the land under unsustainable landuse practices with ever expanding encroachment into the cores of these protected sites, absence of sound policies and weak law enforcement if any, coupled with limited awareness levels what our biodiversity resources are worth by those who are most dependent on these resources are some of the key factors to share the blame. Poverty and direct dependence on nature is of course a big challenge but, the absence of participatory approach to include the resident communities in planning, implementation and benefit sharing from projects in these protected areas and parks has exacerbated this problem (Desta H. 2001). The abstract (nonmonetary) yet globally vital role of such sites on biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and climate mitigation might be too abstract to understand as well as less of a priority both to the policy makers and the resident communities in many poor developing countries as these services are none monetary in kind and/or difficult to make economic valuation of them. Yet, their loss carries consequences that fly far away beyond the national or regional boundaries and do they need global attention.

Hence, research findings are crucial tools in communicating the urgency of the issues so that to create better awareness about our national and global heritage sites and by doing so to influence government officials to formulate sound policies and enforce them accordingly. Accordingly, identification of the biodiversity hotspots in the country and their threatened species, documentation and communicating such findings to policy makers and politicians about their actual and potential global significances, recommendations on their management approaches that will incorporate the local communities can bring a positive impact to reserve the trend. Hence, the goal of my research topic-developing vegetation atlas of Assimba Mountain is exactly to achieve this objective at least locally. The outcomes of the research will be used directly by Irob government and Irob community organizations to rescue our invaluable natural resources by formulating and enforcing sound environmental management and conservation policies. My hope is also to attract international community as we shed light on the global significance of this region.

The microclimate of the region too is significantly affected by the altitudinal gradient. The rain fall in general is scanty and erratic amounting to 500 mm/year. Generally speaking, June to September is considered as wet season bur rainy season became very unpredictable since 1980s. Different than the altitudinal gradient, the proximity of the region to the Red Sea is a factor worth to consider regarding its role in defining the microclimate of the region. Irobland is located at about 65 kms to the west of the Red Sea with 60% (Woldemariam G. T, 2004) of the escarpment land mass facing the Sea (East wards). Orographic effects are very pronounced in this region due to the nature of the land topography expecting this to play crucial role the microclimate of the region.

The Vegetation of Assimba and Irobland in General

One most striking observations of the region is it diversity and uniqueness of the vegetation.  As a forestry researcher I had an opportunity to visit all major agro ecological zones of Tigray and also as a graduate student in 1999; we had a thirty-day educational trip to all major forest priority regions throughout Ethiopia. I have not come across any similar vegetation physiognomy like that of Irob highlands. I still do not know why so different, and this is one reason behind my research initiative here. Therefore, I am proposing this project as there is no previous documentation to answer questions like why so unique and diverse the vegetation of this region?

 Methods and Materials

A systematic grid of 50m * 50m plots will be sampled at 5km spacing will be create using Collect Earth Online (CEO) tool and ArcGIS. Land cover, tree cover and tree count will be generated for those plots using CEO.  Stratified map of Irobland will be generated using Ecological Land Units (ELU) map and the land cover and tree cover map created from CEO data. Stratified sampling will be used to create proportional sampling by strata. CEO plots will be established for data collection for the above variables.  The plots will be uploaded to field sampling tools like ODK to to conduct vegetation survey. Vegetation groups will be stratified as Trees,  Shrubs, Bushes, Herbs and grasses. For trees parameters like height, DBH and crown size and form will be measured. Data on parameters like presence-absence, abundance will be collected. For plant species which cannot be identified in the field, the specimen will be brought to national herbarium (Addis Ababa University) for identification. Major trees and shrub species will be identified for Irobland.

The sample plots will be permanent geolocated plots for recurrent monitoring. Such data also will be used in describing the major vegetation physiognomy of the major habitats in Irobland.

There are about 120 families expected to be resettled from the park vicinity into nearby villages and/or Alitena-Dawhan town. A semi organized RRA/PRA questionnaire will be formulated and conducted with these families covering questions about their concerns as a result of this plan. Questions addressing their gains and losses, the way they interacted with the Assimba Park and benefits they used extracted from this forest area, their views on the resettlement approach, and recommendations will be assessed.

Tools and Equipment

• Collect Earth Online Survey

• ODK or similar Open Source Field Data Collection Toolkit

• Satellite Imagery

• Measuring tape, altimeter, etc

• Specimen collection tools like scissors and cutting knives, plant press

• Inventory and/or tree mensuration equipment and tools like clinometers, Calipers & diameter tape, Quadrat frames.

• Data collection and processing handheld computers and personal devices like ArcPad, GPS, Laptop Computer, Video and Photo Camera, Imagery of the area

• Electronic data collection forms

Expected Results

• Species list with names in Saho, Tigrinya, English common names and their scientific names: the region has never gone under any similar vegetation inventory. In the other hand there is even high probability of discovering new species to science. The unique nature and extreme diversity of flora in this region is behind this daring claim.

• Species IUCN threat category raking: Based on my personal knowledge  of this region’s diversity and unique vegetation, yet extreme pressure from human activity that lead to habitat degradation, I expect a many species to fall under various IUCN threat category. Hence, in this result category, IUCN threat categories like endangered, critically endangered species will be listed using the IUCN red listing criteria.

• Description and classification of vegetation physiognomy: Using relevant criteria from literatures like that of Leslie A. Kenoyer, 1929 and others major vegetation physiognomic classes will be generated for the region. Dominant vegetation types like grasses and herbs, bushes and shrubs, trees that will be generated from the analyses of collected data will be used to classify and brief description about their attributes will be accompanied.

•  A map that displays the major habitats of the region is another expected outcome of this research. Habitats are home to whatever lives on. Their wellbeing means the wellbeing of its residents and their destruction so too. Using criteria from various guidelines like that of Jackson D.L. 2000 (http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-2433#1401) broad-generalized habitat classification map will be developed. A combination of land form classification using GIS and the plant communities from the collected data will be at center of this classification. Together with this map vegetation distribution map will be also developed. Major vegetation types per each habitat and their aggregate across the whole region will be spatially mapped using the coordinates recorded during the data collection.

References

• Abebe Demssie, 2001. 25-years of BiodiversityConservation and Untilization and Future Plan of Action. IBCR; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• Bernard, G. 1998. A survey on the flora and fauna of the semien mountains national park Ethiopia.

• Birhanu Tefera, No.-21 2000.  Walia:  journal of the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History society.  Ethiopian Wildlife conservation organization; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) 2012. Ecosystem Profile, Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot (http://www.cepf.net/Documents/Eastern_Afromontane_Ecosystem_Profile_FINAL.pdf)

• Desta H.,2001: Research Methods in Forestry, Principles and Practices with particular reference to Ethiopia, Larenstien University; The Netherlands,

• Hieno W. et al 1999: Methods and Strategies for Forest Genetic Resources Conservation. Forest Genetic Resources Conservation: Principles, Strategies and Actions Proceedings, IBCR, Addis Ababa; Ethioppia.

• Jackson D.L. (2000). Guidance on the interpretation of the Biodiversity Broad Habitat Classification (terrestrial and freshwater types): Definitions and the relationship with other classifications

• Leslie A. Kenoyer 1929. Plant Physiognomy. Ecology. Vol. 10, No. 4 (Oct. 1929), pp. 409-414 

• Marco kiener (Dr), 2000. Towards the New Management Plan for the Semien Mountain National Parks. Walia:  journal of the Ethiopian Wildlife and 

• Natrual History Society.  1998, special issue: -1998/ Group for wildlife and conservation Biology, Istitute of Zoology, Univ. of Zurich; Switzerland with the assistance of Ethiopian Wildlife conservation organization

• Ed.: Bernard… Zurich: Pano-Verl., 1998 Walia:  journal of the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society.

• 1998, special issue: -1998/ Group for wildlife and conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Univ. of Zurich; Switzerland with the assistance of Ethiopian Wildlife conservation organization

• Woldemariam G. T, 2004.  Terrain Analysis of Irobland and its Relevance to Natural Resources Management, Irob, Northern Ethiopia