A SENIOR RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITED TO ODA

BULTUM UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY
TITLE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF
SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN CASE OF
ETHIOPIA

BY: MUSTERIYA JEMAL……… ID;NO (1430/13)

ADVISOR: TEMESGEN . D (MSc)

CHIRO, ETHIOPIA

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 Table of Contents
LIST OF ABBRIVIATION.................................................................................................3
1. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................4
1.1 Background and Justification.....................................................................................4
1.2 Statement Of The Problem.........................................................................................5
1.3 .Objectives of the study..............................................................................................5
1.3.1. General objective.................................................................................................5
1.3.2 .Specific objectives...............................................................................................5
2. LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................6
2.1 Definition and Concept of Terms...............................................................................6
2.2 Sustainable Forest Management.................................................................................6
2.3 Impacts of unsustainable forest management.............................................................7
3 . CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................1
3.1. Conclusion.................................................................................................................1
3.2. RECOMMENDATION.............................................................................................2
4. REFERENCE..................................................................................................................3

LIST OF ABBRIVIATION
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FM FOREST MANAGEMENT

PFM PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT

NGO NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION

MASL MEAN ABOVE SEA LEVEL

KM KILOMETER

HA HECTARE

NDP UNITED NATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

1. INTRODUCTION

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1.1 Background and Justification
In Ethiopia, natural resource degradation has become a serious environmental problem. Deforestation is
one of such problem and defined broadly can include not only conversion to non-forest, but also
degradation that reduces forest quality, density and structure of the trees, the ecological services
supplied, the biomass of plants and animals, the species diversity and the genetic diversity (FAO,2005).
In a year, 150,000 to 200,000 ha of forests, i.e. about 6% of the remaining forest of the country are
cleared (Ministry of Natural Resource (MoNR) 1993). Currently only 2.4% of the total land of the
country is under forest cover though it was estimated to have been about 34% in the past (Daniel 1988;
Shibru and Kifle 1999). The fast growing population with increasing demand for farmland and wood for
construction and fuel, forest fire, insecure land tenure system, inappropriate conservation approaches
and lack of awareness are the most commonly mentioned factors for deforestation in the country (Aklilu
2001; UNDP/ World Bank 1988).

Deforestation is caused by what human beings do to the forests and can be accentuated by drought.
Generally deforestation occurs when people clear forest for their personal need such as, for fuel,
hunting, when they need the land to grow and harvest crops, for building houses, and at times because of
religion beliefs (Sucoff, 2003).

Deforestation has many repercussions that include soil, water and biodiversity degradation. Recognizing
the potential impacts of resource degradation, some measures have been taken towards resource
conservation in the country. These include establishment of protected areas like parks, game reserves
and sanctuaries and mobilization of people to construct physical soil conservation structures for
reforestation through food-for-work programs(Decaling 2001; Fey era, undated; Hurni and Lodi 2000).

Deforestation reduces biological diversity and increases soil erosion and the siltation of rivers and
streams and can endanger hydroelectric dams, agricultural irrigation systems, and other technological
and economic facilities. The environmental functions and services of the forest ecosystem are reduced or
even lost, depending on the extent of deforestation (Sponselet al., 1996).
At the present, only patches of forests remain in the country, mainly in the western, southern and
southwestern parts. One such forest is found in Assela area in Burka Chilalo kebele. Forest cover has
been declining at an alarming rate in this area. This is because of expansion of agricultural land, cutting
of trees for fuel, construction, charcoal making and pit-sawing, which are the manifestations of

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population pressure as well as failure in property rights institutions. Land once covered by natural forest
is now converted into agricultural land and settlement(field survey May, 2015).

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

There are many serious problems in our country as well as in water kebele which need active solutions,
such as: high population growth, deforestation, scarcity of agricultural land, expansion of desertification
and soil erosion.

Therefore my topic of study attempt to assess the level of the sustainable forest management water
kebele area and the active participation of a community towards forest management to alleviate the
existing problems and sustaining the benefit obtained from the forest resources in the area.

1.3 .Objectives of the study

1.3.1. General objective
 The general objective of the study was to assessing challenges and opportunities of
sustainable forest management in case of ethiopia

1.3.2 .Specific objectives

The specific objectives of the study was;

 To assess the community strategy for sustainable forest management.

 To know the awareness of livelihood about benift of forest management.
 To measure the impact of unsustianabel forest management in burika chilalo kebele.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

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2.1 Definition and Concept of Terms
A forest is best defined as an ecosystem or assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees and other
woody vegetation. The living parts of a forest include trees, shrubs, vines, grasses and other herbaceous
(non-woody) plants, mosses, algae, fungi, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and
microorganisms living on the plants and animals and in the soil. These interact with one another and
with the non-living part of the environment - including the soil, water, and minerals, to make up what
we know as a forest (FAO, 2005).

2.2 Sustainable Forest Management

Sustainable forest management means the environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and
economically viable management of forests for present and future generations. Yet sustainable forest
management is an evolving process, and the parameters defining it change over time based on the latest
scientific knowledge and society's understanding of the concept (FAO, 2005)

Sustainable forest management as a dynamic and evolving concept aims to maintain and enhance the
economic, social and environmental value of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future
generations. It is characterized by seven elements, including: (i) extent of forest resources; (ii) forest
biological diversity; (iii) forest health and vitality: (iv) productive functions of forest resources; (v)
protective functions of forest resources; (vi) socio-economic functions of forests; and (vii) legal, policy
and institutional framework. (Source: UN 2008, Resolution 62/98).
The forest ecosystem is highly complex, and influenced by numerous external factors. Similarly,
different forest types in different regions of the world require different sustainable management
strategies.
Forest management may be viewed as applied forest ecology. Trees and other vegetation in a stand are
managed in ways that reflect and capitalize on the ecological capabilities and tolerances of different
species and ecosystems. Forest sites are managed to utilize and sustain their productive capacity and in
ways that recognize the ecological association between survival and growth of different trees and site
characteristics.
Effective forest management and silviculture are intimately linked to an understanding and appreciation
of forest ecology. Understanding the biophysical characteristics of forests and forest sites, the silvics or
autecology of various tree and plant species and the relationship of disturbances to forest development

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are central to developing effective management plans and making reasonable predictions about future
conditions of a forest. It is also important from the standpoint of managing for wildlife habitat and more
broadly, for the diversity of plants and animals that may occur in the forest. For instance, hard mast
producing species, such as oaks, are favored by many species of birds and small mammals (FAO 2005).

2.3 Impacts of unsustainable forest management

Unsustainable forest operations and other pressures on forest resources, such as gathering of fuel wood,
can lead to forest degradation and permanent losses in biodiversity. Globally, over half of the temperate
broadleaf and mixed forest biome and nearly one quarter of the tropical rain forest biome have been
fragmented or removed by humans (SCBD 2008).

Unsustianabel forest management also Increased illegal hunting continues to be a major threat to forest
biodiversity in many countries. The depletion of wildlife is intimately linked to the food security and
livelihood of numerous tropical forest-region inhabitants, as many of these forest-dependent people have
few alternative sources of protein and income (see page 25). Unsustainable hunting pressures are often
linked to logging activities (Nasi et al. 2008).

Another possible side effect of forestry operations, illegal settlements are a threat to forest biodiversity
following construction of new forest access roads to previously inaccessible regions. Forestry can also
have negative impacts on indigenous and local communities and on the livelihoods of other forest
dwellers by competing with these communities for access to a finite forest resource base, and by
disregarding cultural or spiritual sites and practices. As forest ecosystems are important stores for
carbon, their loss has serious implications for climate change. Forests account for about 50% of the total
above-ground terrestrial organic carbon, and deforestation and forest degradation are estimated to cause
about 20% of annual greenhouse gas emissions (SCBD 2008).

Deforestation and forest degradation in tropical and some of boreal forests are serious problems that
contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases as well as to the fragmentation of forests. Deforestation
and degradation have a series of direct and underlying causes (Kanninen et al., 2007; Geist and
Lambing, 2001), but none of these can be resolved if land and forest tenure are not clear or are not
enforced (Corbera et al., 2011; Nawir et al., 2007; Walters et al., 2005; Suyanto et al., 2002b). State
land is more frequently subject to conversion into agricultural land than privately owned land. Privately
owned and concession forests, however, are increasingly coming under pressure, especially in countries
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with policies that recognize traditional rights or favor the rights of community inhabitants to their
surrounding forests. In the Amazon region, community lands also receive increased pressure, possibly
due to the regional infrastructural plans (IIRSA), speculation of future forest values under new
international agreements on climate change (REDD+), investment in bioenergy, the relatively large size
of many community lands in relation to their population and the lack of financial and human resources
to secure their borders. Since many of the areas with land and forest rights concerns are in remote areas
and refer to areas where people may have conflicting interests, regularizing these rights has been a major
challenge in the past. Some progress has nevertheless been made in Latin America (Sunderland et al.,
2008; White and Martin, 2002).

Forests play an important role in the global carbon balance. As both carbon sources and sinks, they have
the potential to form an important component in efforts to combat global climate change. FRA (2010)
estimated that the world’s forests store 289 Get of carbon in their biomass alone
(www.fao.org/forestry/fra/fra2010/en/). As sources of GHGs, deforestation accounts for approximately
20% of anthropogenic emissions (FAO2006; Stern, 2006).

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 3 . CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1. Conclusion

In Ethiopia there are many problems that are disterbe forest resource. From thouse deforestation
is one of the key and serious problem. It has become an issue of global concern because of the
relevance of tropical forests in biodiversity conservation. It affects economic activity and
threatens the livelihood and cultural integrity of forest dependent people at local level. It reduces
the supply of forest products and causes siltation, flooding and soil degradation and
alsoDeforestation reduces biological diversity and increases soil erosion and the siltation of
rivers and streams and can endanger hydroelectric dams, agricultural irrigation systems, and
other technological and economic facilities. The environmental functions and services of the
forest ecosystem are reduced or even lost, depending on the extent of deforestation.
In Ethiopia, where the lives of many rural communities are directly related to natural resources,
forest means everything, and thus, all efforts, towards conservation of natural resources and
sustainable use of its products is a challenging task.ET is endowed with diverse natural resource
in general and forest resource in particular. But due to unwise use of the forest resource of
thearea which has been taking place for centuries, the remaining forest coverage is extremely
very small and declining. The primary causes of forest destruction are agricultural expansion, the
deforestation problems for different purposes, the demand for increasing amounts of construction
material, forest fires, fuel wood and charcoal; as well as expansion of re/settlements and
livestock grazing.

In general ethiopia scarcity of resources like agricultural land which led to clearance of
forestlands, settlement, illegal deforestation and over grazing and others are the main challenge
of sustanaible forest management. On the other hand Increased collaboration, involvement,
continuous follow‐up and support of relevant regional and local government sectors and others
are some of the opportunities of sustanaible forest management.

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3.2. RECOMMENDATION

The result of investigation revealed that the forest in the study area was progressively being
depleted. While the majority of the communities, entirely depends for their daily livelihood on
the local environmental resources. Thus, conservation and sustainable utilization of these
resources are crucial. Therefore, in order to alleviate the challenges of sustanaible forest
management and to increase the opportunities of sustanaible forest use, it may better to take the
following measures:
 Generally, poverty is the main cause of environmental degradation in general and forest
degradation in particular. Hence, in order to achieve food security in rural Ethiopia in
general and in the study area in particular attempts should be made to increase the real
income of the farm households which release dependency on forest resources.
 The government should create job opportunities for the communities in order to reduce
their dependency on forests resource.
 Promoting environmental education and awareness on the use of forest.
 The local community should have a habit of planting various trees species on sustainable
way.
 Facilitate the expansion of alternative energy sources, training, and fuel saving
technology diffusion in order to reduce dependency on fuel wood.
 Natural resources including forests should be considered in its utilization and
management by governments and private owners.
 Expanding modernized agricultural practices and appropriate land use to increase yield
per unit area.
 Government support should not isolate from them in order sustain the benefits obtained
from the FM.
 Giving awareness about the benefits of the FM in the livelihood of the local community
 To employ or assign well trained professional in a field to help the community in
management.
 To educate and provide other information for all community that live in the forest area.
 Appreciating and if possible rewarding those who participate actively in the management
of the fo

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 4. REFERENCE
Ministry of Natural Resources (MoNR) 1993, Ethiopian Forestry Action Program (EFAP) Vol.II.
The challenge for Development, Final Report, Addis Ababa.
Shibru Tedla and Kifle Lemma 1999, National Environmental Management in Ethiopia: In
Search of People’s Space. In Mohamed, M. A. and Shibru Tedla (eds.), Environmental Planning,
Polices And Politics in Eastern and Southern Africa. London: Macmillan Press.
Fey era Sanbate, undated, The Challenges to Conserve Protected Areas in Ethiopia. Unpublished
Research Result, Debub University.
Hurni, H. And Lodi, E. 2000, Reconciling Conservation with Sustainable Development: A
Participatory Study Inside and Around the Semen National Park, Ethiopia. Berne, Switzerland.
Dessalegn Rahmato 2001, Environmental Change and State Policy in Ethiopia: Lessons from
Past Experience. FSS Monograph Series 2. FSS, Addis Ababa.

FAO, 2005. State of the World’s Forests . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, Rome.

Sucoff, E. (2003). Deforestation.In Environmental Encyclopedia. (P.g.358-359). Detroit:

Gale.the Causes, Consequences and Solutions of Deforestation. In: Tropical Deforestation:The
Human Dimensions; Editors: Leslie E. Sponsel, Thomas N. Headland and Robert.

Sponsel, F., Leslie, E., Headland, T.N. and Bailey, R.C. (1996). Anthropological Perspectives
on the Causes, Consequences and Solutions of Deforestation.