Evaluating Biophysical Conservation Practices with Dynamic Land Use and Land Cover in the Highlands of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the sub-Saharan countries affected by land degradation, notably by soil erosion. The government of Ethiopia has launched an extensive biophysical soil and water conservation (SWC) effort each year to address the problem. These practices were installed on varying land use and land cover (LULC) systems. Despite the fact that the interventions covered the majority of the landmasses, there were no quantitative data on the scale of biophysical measures with the change in land use and land cover. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate biophysical conservation practices with dynamic land use and land cover in the highlands of Ethiopia. The study focused on districts of the Amhara regional state’s South Gondar zone. A mixed research methodology was employed to gather pertinent data for the study. The dynamics of LULC were analyzed using satellite images acquired between 1990 and 2020. Biophysical conservation measures’ data and qualitative information were collected from the zonal office of agriculture. Twelve years’ worth of biophysical SWC measures data were used for the study. The results indicate that cultivated land makes up the majority of land use and land cover. Bunds built on cultivated land account for 93% of conservation practices. During the study period, there was a significant decline of biophysical conservation practices implementation in each district. Although plantation was used on a wider scale, it was unable to sustain physical SWC practices or expand forest cover in the region. In addition, lack of integrated maintenance for early installed structures decreases the effectiveness of SWC measures. In conclusion, the dynamics of LULC have a significant impact on the magnitude of biophysical conservation measures. Therefore, watershed managers shall consider the spatio-temporal variation of LULC while planning conservation practices.