Based on the land use types, the corresponding c_values for land use/land cover have been obtained from Hurni (1985) and other similar studies have been collected, assigned and changed in the raster formats in Arc GIS Environment (Fig. In: Pilger A, Rosler A (eds) Afar depression of Ethiopia. Vertisols having moist chromas of less than 1.5 dominant in the soil matrix throughout the upper 30 cm. PODZOLS (P)Other soils having a spodic B horizon. Therefore, the soil erosion could be reduced if the current land use land cover scenario is considered. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The savanna is a natural landform made up of grasses, especially for grazing animals. The driest of all regions is the Denakil Plain, which receives less than 20 inches (500 mm) and sometimes none at all. The result also reveals that most of the watershed erosion severity evaluated under very low and low soil erosion severity classes covering 97.3% of the watershed areas which is due to the effect of mixed plantation of various tree and terraces. all parameters had been analyzed and soil loss from the area was calculated where A=Annual soil loss in ton/ha/year, R=Rainfall erosivity factor in MJmmha1year1 K=Soil erodibility factor in thrMJ1mm1, LS=Slope Steepness and Slope Length factor (dimensionless), C=Cover factor (dimensionless), p=conservation practice factor (dimensionless). GIS Based Soil Loss Estimation Using RUSLE Model: The Case of Jabi Tehinan Woreda, ANRS, Ethiopia. Other soils having no diagnostic horizons or none other than (unless buried by 50 cm or more new material) an ochric A horizon. There are a number of dry habitat reptiles including the endemic geckos, Arnold's leaf-toed gecko (Hemidactylus arnoldi) and Parker's pigmy gecko (Tropiocolotes somalicus). University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland, in association with the Ministry of Agriculture, Addis Ababa, Kelbessa E, Demissew S, Woldu Z, Edwards S (1992) Some threatened Endemic plants of Ethiopia. (2019), who reported that the LS factor for karessa watershed Dawuro zone, south west Ethiopia ranges from 0 in flat areas to 154.6 steeper and longer slope area of the watershed. Eight factors/parameters such as soil type, soil depth, soil texture, soil drainage, slope, distance from a water supply, and land cover were used to evaluate the suitability of the area for surface irrigation. The mean soil loss rate (2.2 ton/ha/year) of Dijo watershed has been classified into three soil erosion severity classes based on the classification of WBISPP (2011) for effective watershed management planning. The current study employed an alternative method using the combination of land use and slope to estimate P_values as proposed by Wischmeier and Smith (1978). Soil erosion could accurately be estimated if and only if the extent and distribution of gullies should be measured. LUVISOLS (L)Other soils having an argillic B horizon. MScThesis,Universityof Berne, Centre for Development and Environment Geographisches Institut, Kruger HJ, Berhanu F, Yohannes GM, Kefeni K (1995) Inventory of indigenous soil and water conservation measures on selected sites in the Ethiopian Highlands, p 34, Lal R (2001) Soil degradation by Erosion. In some areas, there is less than one person per km2. The lowest erosion rate is from Molic Andosols. LITHOSOLS (I) Other soils which are limited in depth by continuous coherent and hard rock within 10 cm of the surface. PODZOLUVISOLS (D)Other soils having an argillic B horizon showing an irregular or broken upper boundary resulting from deep tonguing of the E into the B horizon or from the formation of discrete nodules (ranging from 2 to 5 cm up to 30 cm in diameter) the exteriors of which are enriched and weakly cemented or indurated with iron and having redder hues and stronger chromas than the interiors. 4.68% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. 61(23):122130. 15). %PDF-1.4 17, Washington, Corti G, Manetti P (2012) Geologia e paesaggi della rift valley in Ethiopia. Nitosols having a base saturation of less than 50 percent (by NH4OAc) in at least a part of the B horizon within 125 cm of the surface; having an umbric A horizon or a high organic matter content in the B horizon, or both, Other Nitosols having a base saturation of less than 50 percent (by NH4OAc) in at least a part of the B horizon within 125 cm of the surface. /Widths [ 278 0 0 0 0 889 667 0 333 333 0 0 278 333 The endangered Bankoual palm (Livistona carinensis) grows in three wadi systems in the Goda Mountains of Djibouti between 165 and 970 meters elevation. Composed of vertisols, they have medium to high potential for both food and agriculture but pose tillage problems because they harden when dry and become sticky when wet. thesis, International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, Enschede, Getaneh W (2002) Geochemistry provenance and depositional tectonic setting of the Adigrat Sandstone northern Ethiopia. 22 sub-watershed classes (A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, T, U, V, W, Y) falls under low erosion severity classes (15 ton/ha/year). The Eastern Lowlands get rain twice a year, in AprilMay and OctoberNovember, with two dry periods in between. Discussed further in Frederick J. Simoons, "Snow in Ethiopia: A Review of the Evidence", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Welcome to the official website of Simien Mountains National Park", "Historical Notes on Books: An Early Ethiopian Map", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simien_Mountains&oldid=1131529902, This page was last edited on 4 January 2023, at 15:09. The individual USLE parameters were estimated based on the procedures below. >> Quiz. The SDR physically means the ratio of the sediment routed to the outlet over the watershed, both overland and channel. The third group of soils is the dark clay found in the Western Lowlands and at the foothills of the Western Highlands. [1], location of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands, Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands. /CreationDate (D:20171206093231+02'00') The fifth soil group is lithosols found primarily in the Denakil Plain. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. LundStudies in Geography, Ser. (2019) in (Table5). from nearly 0 in south and central parts of the area to 504.6 t/ha/yr in Schweizebart, Stuttgart, pp 310316, McCann JC (1997) The plow and the forest: narratives of deforestation in Ethiopia, 18401992. 0000010931 00000 n YERMOSOLS (Y)Other soils having a very weak ochric A horizon and an aridic moisture regime; lacking permafrost within 200 cm of the surface. 0000003057 00000 n It is also one of the biggest threats in Ethiopian highland which threatens agricultural productivity. The countrys main geomorphological landscapes regions are identified as follows: (1) the northern highlands, including (i) the volcanic plug belt of Adwa, (ii) the central highlands and (iii) the southwestern highlands; (2) the Rift Valley, which consists of three main portions, namely the northern, central, and southern trunks and the Afar and Danakil depressions; (3) the southern plateau, which consists of a northern and southern sector and includes also the Ogaden tableland gently descending to Somalia and the Indian Ocean. [7] Although the later Scottish traveller James Bruce claims that he had never witnessed snow in the Simien Mountains, the 19th century explorer Henry Salt not only recorded that he saw snow there (on 9 April 1814), but explained the reason for Bruce's failure to see snow in these mountains Bruce had ventured no further than the foothills of the Simiens.[8]. 8), which is within the ranges of Bekele et al. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Because Ethiopia is located in the tropical latitudes, its areas of lower elevation experience climatic conditions typical of tropical savanna or desert. This introductory chapter reports about the main geographic and geomorphologic features of Ethiopia. 278 0 0 556 0 0 0 0 0 0 556 0 0 0 0 0 14a. <> Soils developed over the lava deposits are mainly lithosols, while regosols are predominant on the Quaternary and pre-Cretaceous basinal deposits. /Descent -212 5 Organic matter is needed as a source of energy for the microbes; it is present in abundance where there is lush pallustric vegetation (e.g. 2} , $$, $$ {\text{Sy}}\, = \,{\text{E}}*\left( { 1/{\text{A}}^{0. Missing rainfall data for all stations have been filled using nearest neighborhood interpolation technique. Volcanoes in the ecoregion are also intermittently active. 0000001298 00000 n slopes are often steep, and lithosols (shallow soils consisting of imperfectly weathered rock fragments) abound, accounting for another 10 percent of the continents surface. [dubious discuss][5]. Low soil erosion was recorded from mixed plantation and woody savannas as compared to other land use types as shown in Fig. endobj Gleysols having permafrost within 200 cm of the surface, Other Gleysols having plinthite within 125 cm of the surface, Other Gleysols having a mollic A horizon or a eutric histic H horizon, Other Gleysols having an umbric A horizon or a dystric histic H horizon, Other Gleysols having one or more of the following: a calcic horizon or a gypsic horizon within 125 cm of the surface, or are calcareous at least between 20 and 50 cm from the surface, Other Gleysols having a base saturation (by NH4OAc) of less than 50 per-cent, at least in some part of the soil between 20 and 50 cm from the surface. - 159.203.63.113. and map erosion vulnerable areas using RUSLE model. CHERNOZEMS (C)Other soils having a mollic A horizon with a moist chroma of 2 or less to a depth of at least IS cm; having one or more of the following: a calcic or a gypsic horizon, or concentrations of soft powdery lime within 125 cm of the surface when the weighted average textural class is coarse, within 90 cm for medium textures, within 75 cm for fine textures. Their parent materials include trap series volcanics, volcanic ash, and even metamorphic rocks. Lithosols are shallow soils consisting of imperfectly weathered rock fragments having sandy clay soil texture classes. ultimately controlled by disaster preparedness maps. 121142). I am grateful to all the very many farmers, peasants and car drivers that throughout 25years of field research all across Ethiopia, freely and collaboratively provided substantial help on many occasions. They occur in the southwest and total 6% of Ethiopia. 0000005613 00000 n In the central highlands of Ethiopia, the main soil parent material is olivine basalt of tertiary age. Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Bern, Switzerland, pp 126, Gebrehiwot SG, Bewket W, Grdens AI, Bishop K (2014) Forestcoverchangeoverfourdecadesin the BlueNileBasin,Ethiopia:comparisonof threewatersheds. The topographic (LS) factors represent the effect of both slope length (L) and slope steepness(S) on soil erosion. Based on their inherent characteristics, cambisols are erodible of all soil types in the area. 537; U.S. Department of Agriculture: Washington, DC, USA. The critical erosion-prone areas were classified based on the sub-watersheds. Based on the finding, the following points should be recommended, The Moderate and Low soil erosion severity areas should be managed through terracing, inter-cropping, contour farming, strip cropping, conservation tillage, mulching and biological stabilizers based on their slope range, soil type and land use type. The moderate soil erosion in Litho sols should be managed by applying the practices of increasing water-holding capacity through inter-cropping, mulching. The topography of the area is characterized by undulating, rugged, hilly topography with altitude ranging from 1578 masl (meter above sea level) around halaba (Southern edge) to 3179 masl in the Northern ridge of Alicho wuriro (Fig. Similarly, Hurni et al. Especially of note is the 2,000m high escarpment extending in a southwest to northeast axis. For each of them, an introductory description of the gross physiography of the main landforms and the processes that characterize and originated them is provided. U.S.Departmentof AgricultureHandbookNo. /ItalicAngle -12 (Fig. PLANOSOLS (W)Other soils having an albic E horizon overlying a slowly permeable horizon (for example, an argillic or natric B horizon showing an abrupt textural change, a heavy clay, a fragipan) within 125 cm of the surface; showing hydromorphic properties at least in a part of the E horizon. In: Billi, P. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of Ethiopia. /FirstChar 32 << The lowest soil erosion on Molic Andosols could be due to their good aggregate stability and high permeability to water which make these soils resistanttowater erosion. According to the assessment and documentation report of Bekele et al. 2003). The major part of the Simien Mountains consists of remnants of a Hawaiian-type shield volcano. Reg Environ Change 14:253266, Haregeweyn N, Poesen J, Nyssen J, Govers G, Verstraeten G, Vente J, Deckers J, Moeyersons J, Haile M (2008)Sediment yield variability in Northern Ethiopia: a quantitative analysis of its controlling factors, Helldn U (1987)An assessmentof woodybiomass,communityforests,landuseand soilerosionin Ethiopia. Hawassa, Ethiopia, Wischmeier W, Smith D (1965) Predictingrainfall erosionlossesfrom CroplandEastof theRockyMountains:guidefor selectionof practicesfor soiland waterconservation. [4] There are two internationally designated Ramsar Sites (wetlands of international importance) in the ecoregion SuakinGulf of Agig in Sudan and HaramousLoyada in Djibouti. The result reveals that the soil loss ranges from 0 ton/ha/year in flat slope to 38.09 ton/ha/year from steep slopes. pp 2762. Cambridge, Hurni H,Herweg K, Portner B, Liniger H (2008)SoilErosionand conservationin globalagriculture. Acrisols having plinthite within 125 cm of the surface, Other Acrisols showing hydromorphic properties within 50 cm of the surface, Other Acrisols having an umbric A horizon or a high organic matter content in the B horizon, or both. Botany 2000: East and Central Africa NAPRECA monograph series no. stream Google Scholar, Amsalu T, Mengaw A (2014) GIS based soil loss estimation using RUSLE model: the case of Jabi Tehinan Woreda, ANRS, and Ethiopia. The fifth soil group is Lithosols found primarily in the Denakil Plain. household uses due to increasing population ultimately lead to severe soil Humic Andosols are the dominant soil type which is mainly found at an altitude of 3,000m. The other types of soils are shallow Andosols, Lithosols, and Haplic Phaeozems that are mainly common in the area between 2,500 and 3,500m. The Simien Mountains are highly eroded as a result of human land use practices and as a result of the topography of the area. 1). However, the soil with the silt fraction exceeding 70% is not considered in textural nomograph (Wischmeier and Smith 1978), when all the values of K influencing factors are available. 0000017099 00000 n Additionally, the most sensitivity parameters that contributed for soil erosion should be selected for better conservation interventions (Diwediga etal. GIS, Remote Sensing, Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE), RUSLE, Weighted Overlay, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), Soil Loss. 0 It reflects the effect of ground and vegetation cover on the reduction of soil loss by reducing rainfall and runoff (Wang et al. The result reveals that from the gross 456,415.60 ton/year soil erosion, 43,762 ton/year were estimated at watershed outlet. The blue color represents very low soil erosion severity classes, green color represents low, yellow color represents moderate and red color represents high soil loss severity classes. In: Abebe Y, Geheb K (eds) Wetlands of Ethiopia. This erosion has been observed at northern parts of the watersheds (Alicho wuriro. 0000002144 00000 n Cont Min Petrol 166(2):351370, Nyssen J, Poesen J, Moeyersons J, Deckers J, Haile M, Lang A (2004) Human impact on the environment in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlandsa state of the art. where SDR denotes the sediment delivery ratio and area of the watershed. Springer, Dordrecht. The first type is composed of euritic nitosols and andosols and is found on portions of the Western and Eastern highlands. Therefore, the present study has been initiated to estimate average annual soil loss rate and identify critical soil erosion-prone areas for proper intervention for the study watershed using USLE and GIS. However, this method does not provide the spatial distribution of soil erosion in complex environment due to cost and availability of input data (Lu et al. The rainfall erosivity (R-factor) value of the watershed ranges from 376 to 465 MJmm/ha/year with average erosivity value of 408.9 MJmm/ha/year in (Fig. The soils of Ethiopia can be classified into five principal types. /Filter [/FlateDecode] However, the wetter margins are excellent for livestock, and even the drier margins respond well to irrigation. 278 278 556 556 556 556 556 556 556 556 556 556 278 278 0 0 The conservation practice factors map based on the land use and slopes were 0.1 to 1 as shown in the (Fig. /LastChar 116 From September to February is the long dry season known as the bega; this is followed by a short rainy season, the belg, in March and April. Thus, the mean annual soil loss rate of the watershed (2.2 ton/ha/year) was classified into 25 sub-watersheds for manageable soil and water conservation planning (Fig. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Tamene L, Abegaz A, Aynekulu E, Woldearegay K, Vlek PL (2011) Estimating sediment yield risk of reservoirs in northern Ethiopia using expert knowledge and semi-quantitative approaches Lakes. 2003). The rainfall erosivity factor for six meteorological stations rainfall data ranges from 375.06 to 486.96 for the rainfall of distribution of 912.40mm1220.44mm, respectively, as shown in (Table6 and Fig. 0000027218 00000 n Lamberet Academic Publishing, Ethiopia, Soromessa T, Teketay D, Demissew S (2004) Ecological study of the vegetation in Gamo Gofa zone, southern Ethiopia. Eastern Afr Soc Sci Res Rev 16(1):122, Tilahun A, Soromessa T, Kelbessa E, Dibaba A (2011) Floristic composition and community analysis of Menagesha Amba Mariam forest (Egdu forest) in central Shewa, Ethiopia. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research: D Agriculture and Veterinary Volume 20 Issue 5 Version 1.0 Year 2020 Types: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Online ISSN: 2249-4626 & Print ISSN: 0975-5896, Belayneh M, Yirgu T, Tsegaye D (2019) Effects of soil and water conservation practices on soil physicochemical properties in Gumara watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 556]>> Greyzems showing hydromorphic properties within 5 cm of the surface. Dijo watershed is located in Rift valley Basin of Ethiopia. /Type /FontDescriptor (2009) also demonstrated that the catchments of Gilgel Abay, Gumara, Megech and Rib havehigh soil erosionrates with an averagesoilloss of 3065 ton/ha/year. Policy aim at keeping land productivity will need to focus to reduce low and moderate soil erosion through terracing, inter-cropping, contour farming, strip cropping, conservation tillage, mulching and biological stabilizers based on their slope range, soil type and land use type. /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding 0000005400 00000 n The people would never cut these trees, owing to a superstitious belief that something bad would befall them as consequence. Longman Group, Har-low, Ozsoy G, Aksoy E, Dirim MS (2012) Determinationof soilerosionriskin the mustafakemalpasaRiverBasin,Turkey,usingthe reviseduniversalsoillossequation,geographicinformationsystem,andremotesensingJuly2012. The current finding on erosion was evaluated based on the past 10years land use land cover scenario; therefore, soil erosion might be reduced if the current land use land cover scenario considered. Other grazing animals include beira, dorcas gazelle, Soemmerring's Gazelle, gerenuk and the beisa oryx (Oryx beisa). J Ecol 23(7):13281335, WBISPP (Woody Biomass Inventory and Strategic Planning Project) Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR) (2011) A strategicplanfor the sustainabledevelopment,conservation,and managementof the woodybiomassresourcesWoodyBiomassInventoryand StrategicPlanningProject. Humic Andosols are the dominant soil type which is mainly found at an altitude of 3,000 m. The other types of soils are shallow Andosols, Lithosols, and Haplic Phaeozems that are mainly common in the area between 2,500 and 3,500 m. The Simien Mountains are highly eroded as a result of human land use practices and as a result of the topography . Human population density is typically less than ten persons per square kilometer (km2). Soil erodibility (K) is the intrinsic susceptibility of a soil to erosion by runoff and raindrop impact. Uncontrolled land use, deforestation, over cultivation, Ethiopia), where resources, facilities and trained scientific manpower are scarce, and where food is in short supply. They are a World Heritage Site and include the Simien Mountains National Park. . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 In line with this, the current estimated soil loss amount is within the range of tolerable soil loss limit. Nat Hazards 75. doi:10.1007/s11069-014-1554-0, Bojo J, Cassells D (1994) Land degradation and rehabilitation in Ethiopia: a reassessment. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Finally, the aggregated effects of Catena 36(12):99114, Hurni H (1985) Erosionproductivityconservation systems in Ethiopia. Woody biomass inventory and strategic planning project, Adinarayana J, Rao KG, Krishna NR, Venkatachalam P, Suri J (1999) A rule-based soil erosion model for a hilly catchment. Regional Soil Conservation Unit/SIDA, Nairobi, Billi P (2004) Sediment yield of a closed river system: the Meki River, western margin of the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Similarly, the finding of setegn et al. Thus, average annual temperatures in the highlands are in the low 60s F (mid-10s C), while the lowlands average in the low 80s F (upper 20s C). Finally, the current finding on erosion was evaluated based on the past 10-year land use land cover scenario. The second group of soils, eutric cambisols and ferric and orthic luvisols, are found in the Simien plateau of the Western Highlands. Soil textural nomograph is widely used to determine the soil erodibility values. Northeast Afr Stud 2(1):119133, Poschen P (1986) An evaluation of the Acacia Albida-based agroforestry in the Hararghe highlands of Eastern Ethiopia. 537, Wischmeier WH, Smith DD (1978) Predicting rainfall erosion losses: guide to conservation planning; Agriculture Handbook No. Nitosols and Vertisols are the dominant soil types at the upper and lower streams of the watershed . 2014). >> However, relief plays a significant role in moderating temperature, so higher elevations experience weather typical of temperate zones. National Conservation Strategy Secretariat, Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tamene L, Vlek PL (2008) Soil erosion studies in northern Ethiopia. Even on the cool plateaus, where good volcanic soils are found in abundance, crude means of cultivation have exposed the soils to heavy seasonal rain, causing extensive gully and sheet erosion.