Socio economic benefits of adopting aquatic ecosystem management systems and its impact

on community livelihoods in central highlands of Ethiopia

A PhD concept note

Introduction

Ethiopian highlands are sources of 12 river basins with annual flow discharge of 122 million

meter cubic, not considering the ground water. The country is often referred to as the ‘water

tower’ of horn of Africa because of its diverse land forms and climatic conditions, creating an

extensive river network throughout the country. Regardless of the abundance of water resources

in the country, Ethiopia is categorized with nations that will face economic water scarcity by the

year 2025 (World Water Assessment Program (WWAP), 2012).

The benefits of ecosystems to societies are discussed in many aspects. At the local level,

ecosystem services are frequently the basis for rural livelihoods and subsistence, particularly for

the poor (Landsberg et al., 2011). Human need and interest to expand production and

productivity is increasing over time and this has helped to maintain world’s food demand, yet has

led to severe environmental impacts, including global biodiversity loss, and water and land

degradation. This implies that when the community livelihood is more dependent on ecosystem

services, the vulnerability also increases. It is obvious that the current developmental activities in

Ethiopia put high pressure on aquatic ecosystems particularly highland streams and rivers:

pollution by domestic and industrial waste, pollution by agricultural activities, sedimentation and

siltation, deforestation causing spring source abandoning and water abstraction (Zinabu and

Elias, 1989; Aschalew and Moog, 2015).

Consequently, most highland rivers of Ethiopia are not found in safe and good condition; thus, it

directly affects the livelihoods of the community who are dependent on river water for
agricultural practices and various domestic uses in rural and urban areas of the country. For

instance, industrial wastes discharged directly affect the riparian community as it poses health

hazard to people and animals. Deforestation can affects the natural balance of ecosystem and

aggravate global warming.

Management of surface running waters quality is a key to societal issues, which requires

proactive measures designed to resolve specific regional problems. Proper monitoring of flowing

water will help to increase water use efficiency and planning a range of appropriate utilization

are restoration activities. Given the high variability of ecological zones, degradation gradient and

subsequent impacts on the livelihood of the riparian community, there is a need for research and

development intervention that takes in to account the sustainable utilization of aquatic resources

for the benefit of the society.

Due to lack of awareness and proper monitoring of aquatic resources in Ethiopia, almost all

aquatic resources in the country are not well protected and are often found in alarming

conditions. The fishery resources as well as the fishery-based livelihood are also remarkably

affected by the poor management of aquatic resources and their subsequent degradation. The

problem associated with poor management of aquatic resource is multi-dimensional. For

instance; public health hazard, economic loss and loss of biodiversity are among the

consequences. Thus, there is a need to implement a range of aquatic resource management

strategies which are developed by taking some selected representative of degraded highland

rivers and streams in the country. Particular emphasis should be given to more vulnerable

members of the community owing to prominent intimacy with river and streams.
Apparently, these effects are not yet studied and there is no clear evidence that shows the extent

of damage that the community is losing. Therefore, this study will fill the gap by identifying the

impact of river ecosystem degradation on the livelihoods of the community and create awareness

for better management practices of rivers and streams in the highlands of Ethiopia.

Objectives of the study

Develop base line socio-economic and gender disaggregated information on aquatic ecosystem

services in Ethiopian highlands

Specific objectives

 Conduct case studies and undertake gender analysis on aquatic ecosystem services and

community benefits.

 Examine acceptance of new methods for aquatic resources assessment and their

determinants,

 Evaluate the impacts of training on sustainable utilization of river ecosystem by the

riparian community.

Methods

The study will be undertaken in central highlands of Ethiopia where two case study sites will be

selected purposively, mainly based on the current conditions of the river/stream. One site will be

selected from which the current status is good and protected by the community and farther used

as a reference site. The other will be selected from relatively degraded area. The required data

include both qualitative and quantitative. The case study and gender analysis will be conducted

using rapid appraisal methods mainly based on focus group discussion (FGDs) and Key
Informant Interviews (KII). Both of these methods will constitute the participation of relevant

stakeholders and beneficiaries in the community. Finally Gender analysis data will be analyzed

using Harvard model.

Baseline and end line surveys will be conducted using structured questionnaire. Respondents will

be selected based on two-stage sampling phase. In the first phase of the sampling, study sites will

be selected purposively so that the areas represent rivers and streams in the highlands of Ethiopia

which are mostly degraded. In the second stage, two case study sites, one with a degraded

condition and the other in relatively better condition (as a reference site). The number or

respondents will be selected randomly based on proportion of the area population size.

The collected data will be analyzed using both descriptive and econometric method. Propensity

Score Matching (PSM), Indigenous Switch Regression (ESR) and difference in difference (DID)

will be used to assess the impact of the delivered aquatic ecosystem restoration actions on the

livelihoods of the community. Probit/Tobit model will also used to examine acceptance of

aquatic resources restoration tools and their determinants. Statistical package for social scientists

(SPSS) and STATA/LIMdep will also be used to analyze the data sets.

Expected output

 Awareness on aquatic ecosystem services

 Gender disaggregated information on aquatic ecosystem management

 Information on the determinants of adopting aquatic resources assessment tools

 Impact of new river ecosystem monitoring systems on the knowledge of the community
Work plan

No Activity Duration

1 Course work Oct 2015------Mar, 2016

2 Data collection Apr 2016------Dec, 2016

3 Data analysis Jan 2017------Aug, 2017

4 Write up Sep 2017------Sep, 2018

Source of budget: Appear scholarship

References

Florence Landsberg, Suzanne Ozment, Mercedes Stickler, Norbert Henninger, Jo Treweek,

Orlando Venn, Greg Mock (2011). Ecosystem Services Review for Impact Assessment. World
Resources Institute (WRI), Working paper. Washington, DC

Aschalew L. and Moog O., 2015. A multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates for
assessing the ecological status of streams and rivers in central and southeast highlands of
Ethiopia. Hydrobiologia, 751:229 –242.

World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP),. 2012. The United Nations World Water
Development Report 4: Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk. Paris, UNESCO.

Zinabu, G. and Elias, D., 1989. Water resources and fisheries management in the Ethiopian rift
valley lakes. SINET: Ethiopia.J.Sc.12 (2): 95-109