Transhumance as a driving force of landscape change in the marginal grabens of northern Ethiopia

Transhumance between the Afar lowlands and Tigray escarpments has been a common practice in northern Ethiopia. However, the impact of transhumance on landscape changes in the marginal grabens has not been significantly researched. Hence, this study aims to understand the process of transhumance and the linkages between social and biophysical aspects of the graben landscapes of northern Ethiopia. Google Earth (2010?2016) and Landsat Imageries (1995?2015) were used to analyse the spatio‐temporal landscape changes. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was applied to measure the change in vegetation cover. Interview and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect perceptions of communities on transhumance and landscape change. The findings reveal that transhumance caused conflicts between the lowlanders and highlanders, which in turn led to displacement of communities. Consequently, the NDVI value of the abandoned settlement increased over time. Conversely, the analysis of Google Earth Imageries and NDVI values show that vegetation cover of the new settlement has decreased. Moreover, the NDVI values of the transhumance areas showed little increase due to the establishments of exclosures in the escarpments. The findings of this study can, therefore, be used to develop targeted interventions aimed at solving transhumance‐induced conflicts, displacement of communities and conservation of natural resources.     

相对剥夺视角下的乡村旅游地居民不规范行为研究 ——以江西婺源县李坑、思溪为例

居民不规范行为危害性极大,传统相关研究多基于社会交换视角,存在一定局限。相对剥夺理论在研究人们的不规范行为上存在一定优势,但鲜有应用于旅游研究。以社区问题明显的李坑、思溪两村落为例,结合相对剥夺理论对居民不规范行为的成因和形式等进行了定性分析。与传统研究不同,发现居民不规范行为与其对旅游负面影响的纵向感知并无直接关系,而主要与横向剥夺感相关。研究表明,相对剥夺理论或可作为居民旅游态度和行为研究的新视角,并在预防和管控旅游地社区问题方面具有重要现实意义。     

Spatiotemporal wetland changes and their threats in North Central Ethiopian Highlands

Wetlands are important environmental resources for rural livelihoods in Ethiopia. The study investigated spatiotemporal change of wetlands, drivers and effects in North Central Ethiopian Highlands. Landsat satellite imageries of 1984, 1993, 2000, and 2013 were used to analyse wetland changes over the last three decades. Practical observations, interviews and discussions with local communities and officers were also conducted to address the main objective. Furthermore, secondary data on crop yields were collected to supplement the primary data. The study shows that wetlands have been converted into built‐up areas and farmlands. Wetlands in the study area experienced annual loss across the entire study period. Consequently, the area size of wetlands decreased from 7.4 per cent in 1984 to 2.6 per cent in 2013. About 66 per cent of the total wetlands was lost within 30 years mainly due to farmland encroachment and urban expansions. The highest rate of wetland change was recorded between 2000 and 2013. Such wetland changes increased conflicts among land users. However, the converted wetlands increased short‐term benefits due to wetland recession agriculture. To conclude, wetland resources are under enormous threats, and challenge the sustainability of livelihoods. Thus, integrated and adaptive wetland restoration policies could improve the degraded wetlands.     

基于植被净初级生产力和水分利用效率的埃塞俄比亚土地退化趋势及驱动因素分析

土地退化对减缓和适应气候变化有重要影响,并威胁到全世界的可持续发展,造成一系列社会、经济和生态问题,是目前全球面临的最大环境挑战之一。基于2001—2020年埃塞俄比亚的归一化植被指数（NDVI）、气象数据及土地覆盖数据,通过CASA模型计算获得植被净初级生产力（NPP）和水分利用效率（WUE）,并使用Sen+MK趋势分析方法得到土地退化及其恢复趋势,同时采用多元逐步回归方法分析了土地退化及恢复的驱动因素。结果表明：2001—2020年,埃塞俄比亚土地退化整体呈现恢复趋势,恢复区域占全国面积的34.51%,主要分布在埃塞俄比亚西部以及索马里州;退化区域仅占全国面积的1.63%,主要分布在首都亚的斯亚贝巴。土地退化及恢复的主要驱动因素是人为与气候共同因素和人为单因素。土地退化的主要因素为人口的快速增长以及城市的扩张,土地恢复则与20年来实施的森林景观恢复以及可持续土地管理措施和政策有关。     

中国土地利用冲突研究进展

中国正处于经济转型与社会发展的关键时期,土地利用面临着巨大的压力和挑战,土地利用结构失衡凸显,各类用地矛盾日趋激烈,由此引发的土地利用冲突问题日益受到重视,相关研究成果大量涌现却缺少系统的梳理与总结。论文运用文献资料法厘清国内土地利用冲突研究取得的成效,并通过文献总结和对比分析指出现有研究存在的不足,进而为中国土地利用冲突研究提出了新的方向。首先,在对已有文献中土地利用冲突相关概念辨析的基础上,指出土地利用冲突是土地资源利用过程中,利益相关者围绕土地利用方式与结构所产生的人地之间的空间竞争与权益冲突的现象。其次,从土地利用冲突的理论基础、土地利用冲突的利益相关者、土地利用冲突的识别与强度诊断、土地利用冲突的表现形式及分类、土地利用冲突的演变及其驱动机制、土地利用冲突的和解等6个方面对国内相关研究进行归纳和总结。最后,通过对国内外研究成果的梳理和比较提出了未来中国土地利用冲突研究的主要方向：① 经济社会转型背景下土地利用冲突理论体系的补充与完善;② 全球化背景下土地利用冲突研究的内容拓展与范式革新;③ 乡村振兴战略背景下城乡土地利用冲突的空间正义与效率;④ 参与式GIS技术支持下土地利用冲突的定量与定位治理;⑤ 国土空间规划体系整合下土地利用冲突的协调与权衡;⑥ 多学科融合视角下土地利用冲突的集成分析与成果应用。     

Human–Wildlife Conflicts and their Associated Livelihood Impacts in and Around Chebera-Churchura National Park,Ethiopia

Human–wildlife conflict is one of the major challenges in conservation biology. Here, we investigated the human–wildlife conflicts and their impacts in and around Chebera-Churchura National Park, Ethiopia. We conducted semistructured interview for 300 people and five focus group discussions from November 2010 to January 2011. In addition, scats of 60 spotted hyenas were collected and analyzed. Totally, 12 carnivores, 6 herbivores, and 2 primate species posing a significant problem were identified. Intensive human–wildlife conflict was observed in Churchura, Sere, and Chebera villages which were very close to the park. The carnivore’s attacks during 2007–2011 had caused about 30.49% of livestock losses. The overall economic loss by wildlife attacks was estimated to be US$ 75,234 (US$ 83/household/year). Scat analysis confirmed a substantial contribution (59%) of livestock to spotted hyena’s diet. Thus, combined strategies like improving livestock husbandries and strengthen the capacity of managers are imperative to mitigate the problems.     

Reconstructing pre-agricultural expansion vegetation cover of Ethiopia

Landscape reconstructions can be used to define a reference condition from which to assess the magnitude of land changes caused by human influence. Since the beginning of the last century, the population of Ethiopia has increased drastically with large effects on the natural vegetation and biodiversity. However, the original land cover patterns in Ethiopia have not been precisely mapped, which hinder the identification of the biophysical and socio-economic factors that contributed to the current landscape patterns. The objective of this study was to reconstruct the past century vegetation landscapes of Ethiopia (i.e. vegetation cover before agricultural expansion) and identify which ecosystems have been most affected by land changes. First, the net primary productivity (NPP) was modelled based on the climatic constraints of natural vegetation growth (water availability, solar radiation and minimum temperature) derived from remote sensing and climate data. This analysis showed that water availability is the most critical constraint for vegetation growth for all regions and land cover types in Ethiopia. Then, the past vegetation was mapped based on predicted NPP. Our results show that i) the extent of broadleaved evergreen or semi-deciduous forest, open broadleaved deciduous forest, closed to open shrubland, mosaic forest-shrubland/grassland, sparse vegetation and grassland was 18.8%, 12.4%, 20.6%, 31.5%, and 16.8%, respectively, and ii) current agricultural landscapes were previously covered mainly by broadleaved evergreen and deciduous forest, which encompassed 38.9%. The least affected by agricultural expansion were sparse vegetation and grassland. Our study provides novel insights on pre-agricultural expansion landscapes in Ethiopia with critical information for scientists and other stakeholders working on the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded areas.     

Multiple Identities and Representations: Experiences in the Study of People's Life-worlds in Rural Malawi

This paper argues that in generating perceptual meanings of social actors as data, researchers need to deal with multiple representations, identities and categorisations of their own and those of their informants. The need to also consider power dynamics that develop in the communication process between the “researcher” and the "researched" in the process of generating data is also emphasised. The paper suggests that an analysis of image‐conflicts can be used to reveal the “hidden meanings” during these research encounters and improve the quality of research findings.     

Allocation of degraded hillsides to landless farmers and improved livelihoods in Tigray,Ethiopia

In the northern highlands of Ethiopia degraded hillsides have been allocated to landless farmers for tree planting since the mid-1990s. The authors assessed the effect of hillside plantations on the livelihoods of landless farmers in the eastern part of the Tigray Region by using transect walks, focus group discussions, and pretested questionnaires. A matched-pairs design was used to compare crop yields, livestock holdings per household, and household incomes to test the differences before and eight years after the intervention. In addition, regression analysis was used to capture variables influencing hillside management. The findings revealed that the plantations significantly increased crop yields, livestock holdings, and the household incomes of all beneficiaries. In addition, tree planting on degraded hillsides had a positive impact on the livelihoods of formerly landless farmers. However, moisture stress and free-ranging livestock were crucial problems. The findings are highly relevant in a conservation context because many existing or planned hillside allocations to landless farmers are located on degraded steep slopes that are unsuitable for crop production. Thus, replicating the practice to other areas with similar environment and problems would be worthwhile, although the management should focus on careful planning to avoid conflicts of interest between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries.     

Willingness and Participation of Local Communities to Manage Communal Grazing Lands in the Lake Tana Biosphere,Ethiopia

Sustainable management of communal grazing lands in Ethiopia is crucial to sustain livestock productivity and reduce land degradation. This study was conducted in Dera district, Ethiopia, to assess local communities’ perceptions of the degradation and their attitudes on the management of communal grazing lands. Household surveys, group discussions, and the contingent valuation method were used to gather data. Results indicated that local communities are aware of the degradation and are willing to participate in the management of communal grazing lands by contributing labor and cash. Labor contribution is positively and significantly correlated to total livestock units (TLU) and credit, and negatively correlated with household size and extension service. Significant correlation between the willingness to contribute cash and TLU was also detected. Community participation and discussions, demarcation of boundaries, equity in benefit sharing, and engaging both formal and informal institutions are crucial to sustain and enhance the effectiveness of grazing land management.     

宁杭城市多时空尺度居住空间分异与比较

城市居住分异具有社会群体与住宅空间的社会—空间双重属性,已有研究多关注社会经济属性,采用非空间分异指数开展单个城市和较大尺度的实证分析,较难有效反映中国当前城市内部日趋复杂多变、异质破碎的居住分异景观。基于住宅空间视角,采用多群体分异指数、空间分异曲线、指数分解模型与地理探测器等方法,以南京、杭州为案例城市,从街道、街区与网格3个尺度,分析宁杭2009—2018年居住空间分异及其影响因素。研究表明：空间分异指数因考虑到住宅空间位置和邻域环境,可作为对非空间分异指数的一种改进;南京不同住宅类型空间分异程度高于杭州,主要是由城市空间结构差异造成的;居住空间分异是城市社会空间资源非均衡配置的结果,其中“中心位势”和“教育配套”等因素对城市居住空间分异的影响最为显著;宁杭城市居住空间分异的共性与特性并存,揭示出城市比较研究的可行性与必要性。通过创新性探索,为中国城市居住分异研究提供新视角、新方法和新思维。     

新时期国土空间治理单元功能认知及其融合路径——以成都市为例

国土空间治理是新时期中国国土资源开发、利用、保护、整治及修复的重要战略手段。当前国土空间治理体系在空间尺度上存在主导功能衔接失配,亟待统一不同尺度空间单元以统筹治理边界、提高治理效率。据此,面向传统治理单元管制边界的针对性问题导向,提出“通过不同理念或方式界定的国土空间单元具有不同的功能导向”等研究假设,并构建土地利用冲突、生态系统障碍、社会发展状态等指数在行政区划单元、自然生态单元、社会发展单元等治理单元上以成都市为例进行验证。结果表明,研究区国土空间治理问题属性的空间格局特征差异化显著,人类活动范围与自然环境限制之间的矛盾是导致区域内治理问题发生的核心因素。在空间相关性分析方面,所有治理问题类型在不同空间单元上均呈现显著自相关性,且均通过0.05显著性检验,但不同空间单元具有理论指向性特点。其中,社会发展单元更适合解决经济发展动力差距问题,自然生态单元更适合解决生态系统连通阻力问题,行政区划单元则更适合解决事权管理冲突问题。在此基础上,利用景观单元协调不同尺度空间单元的问题属性,将研究区划分为高山地带发展动力衰弱型（22.98%）、丘陵地带治理属性均衡型（11.55%）、乡村地区管理冲突加剧型（44.57%）、城乡边缘区发展主导复合型（9.44%）、核心建成区连通阻力增强型（11.46%）5类空间,进而实现多尺度空间单元的跨行政区融合路径。综合而言,有必要建立管理-保护-发展功能嵌套的空间单元集成体系,通过细化景观尺度将权力和责任从政府机构拓展至更广泛的行动参与者,系统地提升国土空间治理效能。     

Assessing potential land suitable for surface irrigation using groundwater in Ethiopia

Although Ethiopia has abundant land for irrigation, only a fraction of its potential land is being utilized. This study evaluates suitability of lands for irrigation using groundwater in Ethiopia using GIS-based Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques in order to enhance the country's agricultural industry. Key factors that significantly affect irrigation suitability evaluated in this study include physical land features (land use, soil, and slope), climate (rainfall and evapotranspiration), and market access (proximity to roads and access to market). These factors were weighted using a pair-wise comparison matrix, then reclassified and overlaid to identify suitable areas for groundwater irrigation using a 1-km grid. Groundwater data from the British Geological Survey were used to estimate the groundwater potential, which indicates the corresponding irrigation potential for major crops. Results indicated that more than 6 million ha of land are suitable for irrigation in Ethiopia. A large portion of the irrigable land is located in the Abbay, Rift Valley, Omo Ghibe, and Awash River basins. These basins have access to shallow groundwater (i.e., depth of groundwater less than 20 m from the surface) making it easier to extract. The comparison between available groundwater and total crop water requirements indicate that groundwater alone may not be sufficient to supply all suitable land. The study estimates that only 8% of the suitable land can be irrigated with the available shallow groundwater. However, groundwater is a viable option for supplementing surface water resources for irrigation in several basins in the country.     

Combining geographic information systems and ethnography to better understand and plan ocean space use

Agencies in the US with oversight for marine renewable energy development idealistically have sought space where this new use might proceed unhindered by other uses. Despite experiential evidence of spatial overlap among existing ocean uses, a lack of documentation made the identification of potential space-use conflicts, communication between existing and potential ocean users, and the design of mitigation exceedingly challenging.We conducted a study along the US Atlantic and Pacific coasts to gather and document available spatial information on existing use through a compilation and organization of geographic information system (GIS) data. Stakeholder group meetings were used to vet the collected spatial data, and ethnographic interviews were conducted to gather knowledge and cultural perspectives. Results show extensive coverage and overlap of existing ocean space uses and provide a visualization of the social and cultural landscape of the ocean that managers can use to determine which stakeholders to engage.Marine resource managers are encouraged to recognize that marine space use is dynamic and multi-dimensional and as such research thereof requires a balance between the efficiency of GIS and the stories captured and told by ethnographic research. There are important linkages within and across fisheries and other uses, communities and interests, and across the land–sea interface. Therefore, it is important to use techniques demonstrated in this research that (1) integrate ethnographic and geospatial data collection and analysis; (2) engage stakeholders throughout the process; and (3) recognize the unique qualities of each geographic location and user group to support sound decision-making.     

土地利用冲突分析:概念与方法

随着人口的快速增长和城市化的发展, 土地利用冲突的形势会变得越来越严峻, 并成为可 持续土地利用的主要障碍。有限的土地资源与不断增长的多样化需求是冲突的自然和社会根 源, 并表现为土地利用在经济利益、生态与环境效益、社会效益之间的矛盾; 农牧交错带、水陆 过渡带和城乡过渡带则是土地利用冲突发生的热点区域。文章还介绍了参与式调查、多目标规划 等方法及其在土地利用冲突中的可能应用。未来土地利用冲突研究的重点应该放在追踪土地利 用冲突的动态变化上面, 并利用科学的方法来缓解冲突的发生, 实现土地利用的综合协调管理。     

Decentralization and local institutional arrangements for wetland management in Ethiopia and Sierra Leone

In Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, recent social, political and environmental transformations have precipitated the intensification of wetland use, as local people have sought to safeguard and strengthen their livelihoods. Concurrent decentralization policies in both countries have also seen the government strengthen its position at the local level. Drawing upon recent field-based evidence from Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, this paper examines the compatibility between community-based local institutions for wetland use, and the process of decentralization. It argues that decentralization has in fact restricted the development of mature local institutional arrangements, due to its intrinsically political interventionist nature.     

Qualitative satellite image analysis: Mapping spatial distribution of farming types in Ethiopia

Satellite images have enormous potential for qualitative land use analysis. This paper presents empirical results that demonstrate how normally invisible dimensions produced by land use can be identified by enriching satellite data with qualitative information from field studies.Land use can be defined as the intentional use of a specific piece of land resulting in patterns of ecological responses that are visible in the land cover and landscape. Responses to land use often result in a heterogeneous combination of reflectance in satellite images. Statistical methods used in the classification of satellite imagery are limited in their capacity to handle categories consisting of heterogeneous combinations of spectral values. To overcome this limitation, a contextual post-classification method has been used to map land cover configurations as related to different agricultural practices in the district of Sodo, Ethiopia.The results show that it is possible to map socio-spatial distribution of different agricultural and socioeconomic practices on a regional level by combining field observations and spatial contextual information. The empirical findings show local agricultural activity variations in cash crop production and subsistence agriculture in the Sodo district of Ethiopia.     

大理洱海旅游环境治理事件中的主体博弈与权益协商

以大理洱海环境治理事件为典型案例,基于半结构式访谈、观察法等质性方法,从环境正义视角切入分析洱海环境治理中的主体博弈与权益协商议题。研究发现,洱海的环境治理是一种以环境名义开展地社会治理与目的地管理过程,逐渐从治理水环境延伸至环境、民生、产业升级等多方面的综合治理;洱海治理隐含权力张力与利益冲突,本地村民、旅游经营者及地方基层政府三方基于合情、合理与合法性原则,围绕“情、理、法”逻辑进行利益博弈与协商;乡村旅游中的环境治理应置于乡村与社会治理框架体系下进行,关照民生与发展。环境正义理论可解释乡村旅游中的环境治理与冲突现象,为揭示环境治理背后的利益冲突与社会问题提供独特视角。     

Spatio-temporal Rainfall Distribution and Markov Chain Analogue Year Stochastic Daily Rainfall Model in Ethiopia

This paper aims at the spatiotemporal distribution of rainfall in Ethiopia and developing stochastic daily rainfall model. Particularly, in this study, we used a Markov Chain Analogue Year (MCAY) model that is, Markov Chain with Analogue year (AY) component is used to model the occurrence process of daily rainfall and the intensity or amount of rainfall on wet days is described using Weibull, Log normal, mixed exponential and Gamma distributions. The MCAY model best describes the occurrence process of daily rainfall, this is due to the AY component included in the MC to model the frequency of daily rainfall. Then, by combining the occurrence process model and amount process model, we developed Markov Chain Analogue Year Weibull model (MCAYWBM), Markov Chain Analogue Year Log normal model (MCAYLNM), Markov Chain Analogue Year mixed exponential model (MCAYMEM) and Markov Chain Analogue Year gamma model (MCAYGM). The performance of the models is assessed by taking daily rainfall data from 21 weather stations (ranging from 1 January 1984-31 December 2018). The data is obtained from Ethiopia National Meteorology Agency (ENMA). The result shows that MCAYWBM, MCAYMEM and MCAYGM performs very well in the simulation of daily rainfall process in Ethiopia and their performances are nearly the same with a slight difference between them compared to MCAYLNM. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) in the four models: MCAYGM, MCAYWBM, MAYMEM and MCAYLNM are 2.16%, 2.27%, 2.25% and 11.41% respectively. Hence, MCAYGM, MCAYWBM, MAYMEM models have shown an excellent performance compared to MCAYLNM. In general, the light tailed distributions: Weibull, gamma and mixed exponential distributions are appropriate probability distributions to model the intensity of daily rainfall in Ethiopia especially, when these distributions are combined with MCAYM.     

国外环境公正研究综述

环境公正已成为国外学术研究的热点问题,且地理学家研究贡献颇多。文章通过梳理国外环境公正的相关研究,特别是地理学家的相关文献,探讨了环境公正的概念建构,并应用Citespace软件分析20世纪90年代以来对环境公正研究的主题词变化态势,从研究内容、方法和尺度等方面总结了环境公正的研究特点,以期为中国环境公正的研究和相关政策的制定提供参考和借鉴。国外学者对环境公正概念主要从“分布公正”“认知公正”与“程序公正”3个方面建构。国外对环境公正的研究主题从关注社区的污染物质和污染设施向气候变化、绿色能源空间等全球性问题发展;研究内容涉及环境公正的分布、原因、影响以及实现方式的多元探讨;研究立场鲜明且在政策与规划方面具有极强的实践性;研究方法涵盖定性和定量两大领域的多种方法,并不断发展;研究尺度上从社区至全球都有覆盖。