Impacts of Resettlement Programs on Deforestation of Moist Evergreen Afromontane Forests in Southwest Ethiopia

Severe land degradation and the consequent series of drought and famine episodes have caused major waves of human migration in Ethiopia over the past 5 decades. The main objective of this study was to assess the impacts of consecutive resettlement programs (spontaneous and planned) on Afromontane forests in southwest Ethiopia. The spatial distribution and extent of forest cover was mapped for the periods 1957, 1975, and 2007 based on visual interpretation of aerial photographs and satellite images. The rate of deforestation was analyzed using overlay and buffer analyses techniques available in ArcGIS software. Focus group discussions and household surveys were conducted to collect information on landscape (forest) change and the causes and consequences of deforestation. Results from the forest cover change analysis revealed that the study area lost large tracts (80%) of its forest cover between 1957 and 2007. Demographic, socio-economic, and cultural changes introduced by migrants were the leading drivers of deforestation in the study area. In addition, the rate of deforestation in the region has been exacerbated by a low level of education and awareness of the local people about the benefits of forests, a lack of regulations to protect the forests, habitat destruction to deter crop-damaging wild pests, forest clearing for fuelwood and charcoal making, and wood extraction for construction and household furniture purposes.status: publishe