Spatio-temporal Bamboo Forest Dynamics in the Lower Beles River Basin, North-western Ethiopia

Abstract Introduction: Bamboo forests, which are an integral part of the eco-system and an important source of socio-economic life for rural communities in the vast savannah lowlands of Ethiopia, are experiencing significant changes. Therefore, examining bamboo forest cover changes and identifying responsible drivers for the changes are of the greatest importance for sustainable management of these useful resources. This study was intended to examine the spatio-temporal bamboo forest dynamics in the Lower Beles River Basin, north-western Ethiopia. Method: A combination of pixel-based hybrid classification techniques and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was employed to analyze bamboo forest cover changes from 1985 – 2019. Focus group discussions, questionnaire, key informant interview and observation were used to identify the drivers for bamboo forest cover change. Results: The study findings indicate that bamboo has experienced significant spatio-temporal change over the study period (1985 - 2019) in the study District. In the base year (1985), bamboo covered 5.1% (5,277.1 ha) of the study area. Significant decline in bamboo forest had occurred in 2001 when the bamboo forests suffered the greatest devastation and shirked to 1.6%. In 2019, the bamboo has been rehabilitated from degradation and increased significantly. However, the net change over the study periods was negative where the bamboo forests declined by 0.8% (831.14 ha). Conclusion: In conclusion, the observed changes in bamboo forest cover was driven by an interplay of multiple factors. Agricultural land expansion, wildfire, free grazing, lack of regulatory mechanisms and improper harvesting and expansion of settlement areas were the top five drivers respectively while conflict, mass flowering and tenure contributed for the change. Therefore, the bamboo forests deserve great attention, and the results from this study imply the need for the concerted efforts of stakeholders for sustainable management, utilization and conservation of the bamboo resources.