Effects of land-use change on the provisioning ecosystem service of wetlands: the case of a social-ecological systems perspective of Boyo Wetland in Ethiopia

Abstract

Wetlands are catchment life support systems with diverse ecological and socio-economic functions. They have played a significant role in the growth of African human civilisations and cultural development, and today contribute billions of US dollars’ worth of ecosystem services to the people of Ethiopia. Ethiopia exhibits both natural and man-made wetland types that cover up to 2% of its land surface. They are, however, under threat from excessive pressures that are both ecologically and socially driven. The objective of this study was to analyse the state of ecosystem services provision of the Ethiopian wetlands, with a novel application of Ostrom’s Socio-ecological Systems Framework (SESF), taking Boyo Wetland as a case study. Household surveys, focus group discussions and stakeholder analysis methods were applied to satisfy the data needs of SESF. Insufficient knowledge of actors on wetland ecosystem services, weak governance and limited self-organisation among actors are highlighted as the major reasons contributing to the unsustainable use of wetlands. When the use of Boyo Wetland’s ecosystem services was evaluated using the SESF, it was evident that unsustainable resource use practices are widespread. These findings could be used to inform national policy on wetlands and local strategies for the sustainable use of wetland resources by direct or indirect users at different levels.

Keywords:

• actor
• ecosystem
• governance system
• resource system
• resource units