A social-ecological assessment of food security and biodiversity conservation in Ethiopia

Joern Fischer,Arvid Bergsten,Ine Dorresteijn,Jan Hanspach,Kristoffer Hylander,Tolera S Jiren,Aisa O Manlosa,Patricia Rodrigues,Jannik Schultner,Feyera Senbeta,Girma Shumi

doi:10.1080/26395916.2021.1952306

Abstract

ABSTRACT We studied food security and biodiversity conservation from a social-ecological perspective in southwestern Ethiopia. Specialist tree, bird, and mammal species required large, undisturbed forest, supporting the notion of ‘land sparing’ for conservation. However, our findings also suggest that forest areas should be embedded within a multifunctional landscape matrix (i.e. ‘land sharing’), because farmland also supported many species and ecosystem services and was the basis of diversified livelihoods. Diversified livelihoods improved smallholder food security, while lack of access to capital assets and crop raiding by wild forest animals negatively influenced food security. Food and biodiversity governance lacked coordination and was strongly hierarchical, with relatively few stakeholders being highly powerful. Our study shows that issues of livelihoods, access to resources, governance and equity are central when resolving challenges around food security and biodiversity. A multi-facetted, social-ecological approach is better able to capture such complexity than the conventional, two-dimensional land sparing versus sharing framework.

Highlights

With current species extinction rates up to 1000 times higher than prehistoric background rates (Barnosky et al 2011) and a rise in the global num ber of food insecure people (FAO 2019), biodiversity conservation and food security are critical chal lenges
Our findings offered new insights into the complex interrelationships between biodiversity conservation and food security
We discuss these findings with respect to implications for biodiversity conservation and food security, both in the context of our study area and globally

Summary

Introduction

With current species extinction rates up to 1000 times higher than prehistoric background rates (Barnosky et al 2011) and a rise in the global num ber of food insecure people (FAO 2019), biodiversity conservation and food security are critical chal lenges. We summarize, synthesize, and reflect on five years of social-ecological research on food security and biodiversity conservation in south western Ethiopia. Following an overview of the overarching study design, we first provide a brief summary of key findings in the different sub-projects – which focused on biodiversity (woody plants, birds and mammals), food security and livelihood strategies, benefits and disbenefits of living with biodiversity, and challenges around equity and governance. Drawing on this summary, we highlight the most important social-ecological connections that emerged from the different sub-projects. Sustainable intensification: The increase of agricultural production per unit area in ways that are envir onmentally sustainable

Study design and overview of methods

Findings

Discussion