SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS OF FOREST CONDITIONS AND ITS DRIVERS IN WOGERA WOREDA, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The study was aimed at assessing the spatiotemporal patterns of forest conditions and its driving forces in Wogera woreda. To this effect, both primary and secondary data sources were used. The researcher collected primary data about the socioeconomic conditions from household heads, development agents and experts, and document analysis. Satellite images were used for assessing the spatiotemporal patterns of forest conditions in 1988 and 2018 of Wogera woreda. The images included the 1988 MSS and the 2018 OLI/IRS with 30m by 30m resolution were downloaded from USGS (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov). Besides, a questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic conditions of 345farm households who were elected as sample members with simple lottery sampling technique. The researcher also made in-depth interviews with the four agriculture and development experts and with the 15 farm households (three in each of the 3 kebeles). The spatial analysis of deforestation indicated four land use calcifications of Wogera in 1988. These parameters are forests, shrubland, barrel and/degraded and cropland and settlement. Accordingly, forest, shrubland, bare land/degraded and cropland and settlement covers an area of 15028 ha (6.97%), 29998 ha (13.91%), 23990 ha (11.13%) and 146573ha (67.99%) respectively from the total area of 215589 ha. Cropland and settlements are the most dominant units (146573ha (67.99%) in the Wogera woreda in 1988. However, in 1988, forest shared a smaller proportion of the mapped area. The spatial analysis of deforestation indicated land use and land cover change classifications of Wogera woreda in the 2018 year. As indicated in the table, cropland and settlement is the dominant unit which accounted for 169432.1 (78.59%) from the total mapped areas. There has been a significant expansion of Cropland and settlements over the past 30 years. Forest cover accounted for only 2371.49 (1.1%) out of the total mapped area of Wogera woreda. However, by 1988, the share of the forest was 150428 ha (6.97%). There has been a significant shrinking of forest coverage in the study area over the past 30 years. The results of household survey and interviews of key informants, in the study area, indicated that the loss of forest cover reduction has been significant throughout 1988-2018 and the main identified causes included population growth and farmland expansion, charcoal making, fuelwood collection and overgrazing. The loss of forest cover reduction has been significant throughout 1988-2018 mainly due to population growth and farmland expansion, charcoal making, fuelwood collection, overgrazing. Therefore, there must be a need for keeping the balance between the existence of these covers and the expansion of cultivated land. The government, the community as well as other development practitioners shall also promote the implementation of effective family planning practices in the woreda to mitigate the challenges due to unprecedented population growth.