Population Growth and Land Resources Degradation in Bantneka Watershed, Southern Ethiopia

The study was conducted to examine the effects of population growth on land resources degradation in Bantaneka watershed, Southern Ethiopia. For the study, both secondary and primary data were used. The secondary data were collected from population data of 1984, 1994, 2004, 2007 and 2010. While, the primary data were collected through survey questionnaire, semi structured interview, field observations and focus group discussions. Questionnaire survey was conducted on 60 samples of farming households which were selected from upper, middle and lower part of the watershed. The study result revealed that both population number and density was increased from 1984-2010, and the average landholding size per households has decreased from 0.68ha in 1994 to 0.48ha in 2007. Due to high population growth, agricultural practices have expanded into upland and marginal areas, and clearing of indigenous trees has become prevalent. Thus, the existing population growth puts pressure for land resources degradation in the study watershed. Keywords: population growth, degradation, watershed