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Lecture Notes - Chapter 3 - 4 - 5

Wetlands provide numerous benefits but are under threat in Ethiopia. They store floodwaters, filter pollutants from water, and support a high level of biodiversity and biological productivity. However, many Ethiopian wetlands have been drained or degraded without regard to their ecological and socioeconomic values. Conflicts exist between uses of wetlands for resources and conservation. Increased protection and sustainable management of wetlands is needed to preserve their functions and values for Ethiopian communities and environment.

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152 views

Lecture Notes - Chapter 3 - 4 - 5

Wetlands provide numerous benefits but are under threat in Ethiopia. They store floodwaters, filter pollutants from water, and support a high level of biodiversity and biological productivity. However, many Ethiopian wetlands have been drained or degraded without regard to their ecological and socioeconomic values. Conflicts exist between uses of wetlands for resources and conservation. Increased protection and sustainable management of wetlands is needed to preserve their functions and values for Ethiopian communities and environment.

Uploaded by

MESAY MEKURIA
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WETLANDS

4. FUNCTIONS, VALUES & BENEFITS OF WETLANDS


5. WETLAND MANAGEMENT
6. ETHIOPIAN WETLANDS
Values and Benefits of Wetlands
Definition:
• Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of
the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing
season
 Water saturation (hydrology) determines how the soil develops, the types of plant, and
animal communities living in and on the soil
 Wetlands may support both aquatic and terrestrial species
 The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that favor the growth of specially
adapted plants (hydrophytes) and promote the development of characteristic wetland
(hydric) soils
Types of wetlands
• Wetlands vary widely because of regional and local differences:
• in soils,
• topography,
• climate,
• hydrology,
• water chemistry,
• vegetation and
• other factors, including human disturbance
• Two general categories of wetlands are recognized:
1. coastal or tidal wetlands and
2. inland or non-tidal wetlands
Wetland systems
five major wetland system types are recognized:
1. Marine (relating with sea),
2. Estuarine (mouth of river meeting sea),
3. Lacustrine (associated with lakes),
4. riverine (related to rivers), and
5. Palustrine (related to marshy areas).
the greatest part is occupied by wetlands in freshwater environments
Function/importance/values of wetlands

• Long regarded as wastelands,


• wetlands are now recognized as important features in the landscape that provide
numerous beneficial services for people and for fish and wildlife
• Some of these services, or functions, include:
 protecting and improving water quality,
 providing fish and wildlife habitats,
 storing floodwaters, and
 maintaining surface water flow during dry periods.
• Decision makers must understand that impacts on wetland functions can eliminate
or diminish the values of wetlands.
Water storage

• Wetlands function like natural sponges, storing water and slowly releasing it
• This process:
• slows the water’s momentum and erosive potential,
• reduces flood heights, and
• allows for ground water recharge,
• contributes to base flow to surface water systems during dry periods.
• Although a small wetland might not store much water, a network of many small
wetlands can store an enormous amount of water
• The ability of wetlands to store floodwaters reduces the risk of costly property
damage and loss of life
Water filtration

• After being slowed by a wetland, water moves around plants,

 allowing the suspended sediment to drop out and settle to the wetland floor

 Nutrients from fertilizer application, manure, leaking septic tanks, and


municipal sewage that are dissolved in the water are often absorbed by plant
roots and microorganisms in the soil

 Other pollutants stick to soil particles

• In many cases, this filtration process removes much of the water’s nutrient and
pollutant load by the time it leaves a wetland.

• Some types of wetlands are so good at this filtration function that environmental
managers construct similar artificial wetlands to treat storm water and
wastewater.
Biological productivity

• Wetlands are some of the most biologically productive natural ecosystems in the
world,
• comparable to tropical rain forests and coral reefs in their productivity and the
diversity of species they support.
• Abundant vegetation and shallow water provide diverse habitats for fish and
wildlife
• Aquatic plant life flourishes in the nutrient-rich environment, and energy converted
by the plants is passed up the food chain to fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife and
to us as well.
• This function supports valuable commercial fish and shellfish industries
Wetlands in Ethiopia
Distribution of Wetlands
• According to Hillman (1993), there are about 73 major wetlands in Ethiopia
 with a total coverage of 13,699 km2.
• according to the FAO Land Use Map of Ethiopia (1970s):
 0.74% of the country is made up of wetlands-permanent wetlands
 2% of its total area (22,500 Km2) if including shallow lakes, small wetlands,
peat lands, swamp forests and seasonal wetlands not picked up by these
sources (FAO 1984).
• they were regarded as an obstacle to human development
• this has led to large-scale drainage and conversion for alternative uses without
regard to ecological and socio-economic values
Problem of wetland in Ethiopia

 Wetland communities are primarily interested in utilization of wetland resources


 while the management institutions at sub-county, district and national levels are
more interested in conservation
 conflicts by the stakeholders can be two types:
1. conflicts among the local resource users mainly about the use of land;
2. conflicts between the organizations interested in conservation of the wetland
and the community
Importance of wetlands in Ethiopia

• High settlement of population in and around of wetlands (Bahirdar, Hawassa, Rift


valley areas, Arba Minch), As Getachew (2004)

• many development projects, with wetland’s water and land resources sustainably,
and there by improve the livelihood of the people:

 fishing, hand craft making, livestock raring, collecting wood fuel wood for
domestic purpose, agriculture, forestry, tourism, and as a mechanism for
adapting droughts i.e. during the dry season, nomadic farmers use wetlands
for livestock grazing and watering purpose.
Cont’d
• Ethiopian wetlands are historical, cultural and ritual importance
• Wetlands of Ethiopia have also a great biological significance in terms of harboring
huge amount of biodiversity:
• endemic, globally endangered and vulnerable bird species (Geferesa reservior,
• wetlands in Awi Zone, Lake Tana, Fincha and Chomen Swamp, Sulultal Plain and
Guassa (Menz) are important areas for endemic bird species of Ethiopia
• these wetlands support several biodiversity resources, a large number of societies
are depending on these wetlands for their livelihood
• Throughout Ethiopia, past and present wetlands areas have been and still are
important sites for livestock grazing specifically,
• wetlands are often a last destination for pastoralists during the dry season in most
parts of the country
Cont’d
• In many parts of Ethiopian rural areas:
 some people are still looking wetlands as a wasteland rather than as a useful
resource
 Wetlands are endangered because of the unwise use of the natural resources
in the wetlands, and low attention and perception towards the management
and protection of wetlands,
 wetlands are under a growing and severe threats and becoming an
environmental disaster
 relative to the severe degradation of wetlands, efforts to reverse the
degradation of wetlands is almost negligible
• Ecosystems (wetlands and natural forests) are facing loss of natural habitats due
to:
 environmental pollution,
 decrease in agricultural productivity, and
 generating excessive resource demands (land, water, forests for different
purpose, grazing areas etc.)

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