Impacts of land use/land cover change on wetland ecosystem services of Lake Abaya-Chamo Wetland, Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Abstract

Wetlands in Ethiopia provide multiple ecosystem services; they are highly affected because of Natural processes, anthropogenic activities, and limited policy attention. It aimed this study at analyzing the ecological benefits and drivers of the degradation of the Abaya-Chamo lake-wetland. A questionnaire survey of 304 Household Heads, focus group Discussion, and Landsat imagery was used. Landsat images from the last 30 years (1990-2019) were also used to identify vegetation indices and turbidity in the study area. Normalized difference vegetation, water, and turbidity indices were used for image interpretation. Mean, it used correlation and regression for data analyses. Abaya-Chamo lake-wetland offers fish, fodder, irrigation, farmland, rainfall, habitat, tourism, aesthetics, recreation, carbon sink, air quality, and climate control services. The area showed siltation-led raising turbidity and a loss of 48.9% of its swamp area from 1990 to 2019. Farm expansion, siltation, invasive plants, open access and overuse of resources, lack of legal framework, and rapid population growth were the main drivers of wetland degradation. Invasive plants result in dwindling aquatic resources, economic and tourism benefits, and changes in local climate, rapidly depleting water and lake-wetland. Thus, the government should formulate a clear policy and legal framework for the sustainable management of wetlands.