Rehabilitating degraded landscapes through area exclosure: Effects on vegetation recovery and livelihoods in eastern Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

Area exclosure has been a key environmental rehabilitation strategy in northern Ethiopia since 1991. It aimed at restoring degraded watersheds. In 2006, the Millennium Village Project initiated large-scale environmental rehabilitation, using area exclosures in Koraro village, Eastern Tigray. This study examined the contribution of area exclosures to vegetation cover recovery and the livelihoods of local farmers. Historical land use/land cover dynamics were analyzed using satellite imagery from Landsat 4-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) for the years 1984, 1995, 2000, and 2010, and Landsat 8 for 2014. Changes in vegetation cover were assessed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). In addition, household surveys and key informant interviews were conducted to evaluate the livelihood impacts of area exclosures. Over the past 30 years, the dominant land use/land cover types in the study area have included farmland, settlement, shrubland, and Bareland. NDVI analysis revealed a marked increase in vegetation cover from 2010 to 2014, indicating the positive impact of area exclosures. Furthermore, the study found that crop yields on farmlands adjacent to area exclosures were 2.2 times higher than those near open, non-enclosed grazing areas. However, the strict “remove livestock from grazing areas” principle presents a challenge to the wider acceptance and sustainability of exclosure practices among local communities. Area exclosures have significantly enhanced vegetation recovery and improved the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the study area. We recommend that area exclosure practices be scaled up across other dryland regions, with greater emphasis on participatory implementation and locally adapted management approaches to ensure long-term success.