Assessing Nature’s Contributions to People by Jefoure Roads for Sustainable Management in the Gurage Socio-Ecological Production Landscape in Ethiopia

Mesfin Sahle,Osamu Saito

doi:10.3390/su13073806

Abstract

“Jefoure” refers to a traditional grass-covered road with households settled on both sides in the Gurage socio-ecological production landscape in Ethiopia. We assess Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) on Jefoure roads for sustainable management. Data were collected using survey tools and orthophoto images, and they were systematically analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. The Jefoure roads are beyond transport networks and enhance the people’s quality of life. We identified 12 contributions of Jefoure roads from the reporting categories of material, nonmaterial, and regulating NCP. Over time, the contributions of the roads at different localities decreased due to socio-economic, cultural, and religious changes. Recent trends in infrastructural provisions cause the degradation of Jefoure roads and lead to a decrease in their value. Therefore, sustainable landscape planning and management are essential to preserve and enhance the positive NCP. This study indicates that roads do not solely generate negative ecological impacts, and planners need to work on designing versatile roads, particularly in landscapes where traffic flows are low. Indigenous knowledge has a significant role in bridging the past and future and needs to be integrated into landscape planning and management.

Highlights

It is strongly affirmed in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) framework to include a broader set of viewpoints and stakeholders [3]
We identified the diverse contributions of Jefoure roads in three major Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) categories: material, nonmaterial, and regulating
This study focused on the assessment of NCP provisions, on grass-covered traditional roads

Summary

Introduction

Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) are all contributions of living nature to people’s quality of life [2]. The NCP concept was developed by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) to better understand the relationship between people and nature [2]. It is strongly affirmed in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) framework to include a broader set of viewpoints and stakeholders [3]. The NCP conceptual framework includes a context-specific perspective beyond a generalizing perspective aiming to recognize unique local or cultural worldviews that can be applied to specific socio-ecological settings [2,3,4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion