Environmental Protection in the Lake Tana Basin

Land use/cover (LULC) changes has a fundamental effect on the hydrological components in the Lake Tana Basin. The Lake Tana Basin, the source origin of the Blue Nile, has experienced notable LULC transitions over the past two decades. The present study evaluates the effect of land use/cover (LULC) changes on hydrological components in the Lake Tana basin using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). Two LULC maps, one from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) for 2004 and another developed from Landsat 8 images for 2021, were used. Both models were calibrated and validated by SUFI-2 using observed discharge data, results showed strong performance (NSE > 0.79, R2 > 0.79 calibration; NSE > 0.90, R2 > 0.94 validation). Between 2004 and 2021, agricultural land decreased by 10.2% and forest cover declined by 33.1%, while wetlands and rangelands increased by 81.4 and 299.2%, respectively. Moreover, urban land was presented as a new class. These changes affected the basin’s hydrology as surface runoff increased from 111.6 to 118 mm/year (+ 5.8%), lateral flow decreased from 106.3 to 100.7 mm/year, and shallow aquifer evaporation declined by 10.2%. Evapotranspiration remained nearly constant at 1066 mm/year dominated by the lake evaporation. The results confirm the significant influence of LULC changes on the hydrological components of the Lake Tana Basin which highlight the need for sustainable land and water management.

Soil erosion is one of the most critical environmental problems in the sustainable development of agriculture and natural resources. Ethiopia is facing severe soil erosion problems. The present study was carried out in the Megech River catchment, Lake Tana Basin, North Western Ethiopia. The present study aims to identify the sensitive soil erosion-prone sub-watersheds in the Megech River catchment. ASTER-DEM (Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection), a 30 m spatial resolution digital elevation model (DEM), was used to delineate the sub-watersheds and drainage networks through spatial Analyst and ArcHydro extension of ESRI ArcGIS v10.6.1 software. The cloud-free optical satellite data got from Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) has been used to update the drainage network of the present study area. The study area was divided into four sub-watersheds: WS-1, WS-2, WS-3, and WS-4. The primary, linear, and areal drainage morphometric parameters were calculated by applying the standard formula. Furthermore, the ranks were allocated to each drainage morphometric parameter of the four sub-watersheds based on their soil erosion proneness. The compound factor value was calculated for the sub-watersheds. The lower value of the compound factor has a high possibility of soil erosion and vice versa. The compound factor of the present study area's sub-watersheds is 2.33 (WS-1), 2.88 (WS-2), 2.11(WS-3), and 2.67 (WS-4). Based on the compound factor value, the present study area's sub-watersheds 3,1,4 and 4 were classified into very high, high, medium, and low priority sub-watersheds, respectively. Through morphometric drainage analysis, the sub-watershed-3 has been identified as a very high-priority ranked watershed in the present study. It needs immediate soil conservation measures for efficient watershed planning and management. Further, the present study shows the effectiveness of the drainage morphometric analysis using the satellite image and GIS techniques in prioritizing the sub-watersheds for soil resource conservation and management in the Megech River catchment, Lake Tana Basin, North Western Ethiopia.

Land use/landcover (LULC) changes and climate variability impact soil erosion; however, their combined long-term effects are poorly studied. Using remote sensing data, this study investigates changes in LULC and rainfall from 1985 to 2022 and their implications for soil erosion in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia. The Global Land Cover Fine Classification System (GLC_FCS30D) data were used to analyze LULC changes; Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS-v2) were used to assess rainfall trends; and the RUSLE was used to estimate potential soil erosion. The GLC_FCS30D proved to have an overall accuracy of 77.3% for 2005, 80.2% for 2014, and 80.3% for 2022. The cropland area increased slightly, from 32.9% to 33.3%, while tree cover initially decreased from 31.2% to 27.8% before recovering to 29.9%. Overall, annual rainfall increased by 2.92 mm yr−1, though it exhibited strong spatial variability, and rainfall erosivity rose by 1.25 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 yr−1. Despite seemingly modest changes in landcover and rainfall, the combined effect on potential soil erosion was substantial. Potential soil loss in the Lake Tana Basin showed significant spatial and temporal variation, with a slight increase of 0.9% from 1985 to 1995, followed by a slight decrease of 0.12% from 1995 to 2005, and a more substantial decrease of 2.3% from 2005 to 2015 before a notable increase of 8.2% occurred from 2015 to 2022. By elucidating the intricate interactions between landcover changes and rainfall variability, this study enhances our understanding of landscape dynamics in the Lake Tana Basin. The findings highlight the importance of considering the interaction between rainfall and landcover changes in climate change studies, as well as when targeting soil conservation efforts and promoting sustainable land management and ecosystem resilience in the tropics.

Lake Tana Basin, located in northwest Ethiopia, is an important ecological and hydrological system supporting diverse plant and animal life. It is the source of the Blue Nile River, an essential water resource offering multiple services to millions of people in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. However, due to changes in land use and land cover (LULC), the basin is at risk of Water quality deterioration. The study adopted a mixed-methods research design that comprised of a cross-sectional survey, ecological survey and finally desktop research that involved literature search, to investigate Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) changes and their impact on water quality parameters such as Turbidity and Chlorophyll a. Landsat 5 thematic mapper (TM) and Landsat 8 operational land imager (OLI) were used to generate temporal LULC change for 20 years (2004 – 2024). At the same period, the surface reflectance products of MODIS Terra (MOD09A1) and measured selected water quality parameters were used to develop equations for predicting time series water quality. The equations were developed, validated and adopted to predict Turbidity and Chlorophyll a respectively. The relationship of LULC change and the dynamics of Turbidity and Chlorophyll a concentration were analyzed by ANOVA, which indicated that the increase in Turbidity was highly influenced by the rise in Agricultural land and least influenced by the increase of Bare-land at a P-value of 0.00892 and 0.655 respectively. Similarly, the surge in chlorophyll a concentration was highly influenced by the increase in the Built-up area and least affected by the increase in Bare-land at a P-value of 0.0049 and 0.918 respectively. The study recommends implementing sustainable LU and water management strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of LC changes, such as deforestation, increased agricultural land, and urban expansion, leading to heightened water turbidity and chlorophyll a concentration in Lake Tana over.

Sustainable forest management aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental value of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations. In Swaziland, despite the existence of numerous local, national, regional and international policies and legislation, sustainable forest management is far fetched. The objective of this paper was to review previous studies on policy reviews, the current status of the non-timber forest products (NTFP) sector, community consultations on resource use and management, user surveys to determine the actual quantities of harvested and utilized edible and medicinal NTFPs, and economic analyses for their direct use value, and inventory and economic valuation of standing stock of various NTFPs. Ulimatelty, this paper has made policy recommendations for the development of a theoretical framework for the sustainable management of NTFPs at the local, national, regional and international levels. This theoretical framework is divided into a set of eleven strategies. These are: Information and social communication; secure rights and access to products from natural forests and woodlands; adoption of innovative policies, revising and updating legislation and elaborating national forestry programmes; development and implementation of national level criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management; project planning and control techniques; local level guidelines for sustainable NTFP management; conservation and financing mechanisms; collaboration and networking between all institutions involved in research and development of NTFPs; institutional strengthening and capacity building; education and training at all levels of community structures; and research and development. Key words: Non-timber forest products (NTFPs), policy, strategy, policies, legislation, economic valuation, sustainable management, assessment, sustainable resource use.

Understanding the basic relationships between rainfall, runoff and soil loss are crucial task for effective management and utilization of natural resource. Hence, modeling the relationship between rainfall, runoff, and soil loss for climatic conditions prevailing in the Upper Lake Tana basin is a crucial task. The watershed instrumented with raingauge and rectangular weir to measure important parameters. Soil infiltration rate exceeded 9.4% of the time by the rainfall intensity, in which infiltration excess runoff is not a dominant runoff mechanism. A simple sediment model was developed. It predicts sediment with Nash Sutcliffe coefficient (E) and the coefficient of correlation (R2) of observed and simulated runoff is 0.9 to 0.91 and 0.88 to 0.96 for validation. The model predicted event based surface runoff with reasonable accuracy, this noticeable model's performance showed probably due to the applicability of the model to estimate sediment loss despite the smaller data size. Keywords: Modeling, Runoff, Sediment loss, Grazing land

Knowledge of hydrologic connectivity is important to grasp the hydrological response at a basin scale, particularly as changes in connectivity can have a negative effect on the environment. In the context of a changing climate, being able to predict how changes in connectivity will affect runoff and sediment transport is particularly relevant for land-use planning. Many studies on hydrology, geomorphology and climatology have been conducted in the Lake Tana Basin in Ethiopia, which is undergoing rapid development and significant environmental changes. This systematic literature review aims at assessing to what extent the hydrologic connectivity has been taken into account in such research, and to identify research gaps relevant to land and water management. On the Web of Science and Scopus databases, 135 scientific articles covering those topics were identified. Aspects of hydrologic connectivity were mostly implicitly taken into account based on process-based, statistical and descriptive models. Amongst the drivers of changing connectivity, the climate was covered by a large majority of publications (64%). Components of structural hydrologic connectivity were accounted for by considering geomorphology (54%) and soils (47%), and to a lesser extent, hydrography (16%) and geology (12%). Components of functional connectivity were covered by looking at surface water fluxes (61%), sediment fluxes (18%) and subsurface water fluxes (13%). While numerous studies of the Lake Tana Basin accounted for the hydrologic connectivity implicitly, these related predominantly to functional components. The structural components are given less attention, while in the context of a changing climate, better insights into their influence on the hydrologic seem most relevant. Better knowledge of the static aspect of connectivity is particularly important for targeting appropriate soil and water conservation strategies. Being able to explicitly assess the ‘structural connectivity’ is therefore of direct relevance for land management and land-use policy.

Legal support of the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in the field of natural resource management and environmental protection

Reports that commodity consumption has surged over the past half century, with metal commodities leading the way, their consumption rising fourfold between 1970 and 2019, followed by a threefold increase in consumption of energy and agricultural commodities. Key drivers of this growth include income and population growth, with demand for metals the most responsive to rising income. Technological innovations have heavily influenced the commodity intensity of output by boosting efficiency in the consumption and production of commodities. Government policies, through taxes, subsidies, and regulation, have also had strong effects. These factors, along with changes in relative prices reflecting the relative scarcity of resources, affect the composition of demand as well as the total. Over the decades ahead, the energy transition should prove a primary driver of substitution among commodity groups. The switch to low-carbon sources of energy will likely reduce consumption of hydrocarbons but increase consumption of the metals used to produce clean energy, such as copper.

Problem setting. The European integration vector of Ukraine’s development amidst the overall globalization and social transformation determines the priority of environmental protection, rational and responsible use of natural resources, and the implementation of energy-, resource-saving and other innovative technologies into production. This is particularly important during Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine resulting in grave devastating consequences for our country’s economy and natural resource potential. These circumstances require Ukraine to increase the adaptive capabilities of the national economy and social development to climate change, to respond effectively to current food and resource consumption challenges, and, thus, to improve the management of natural resources used in the economic activity. According to the state program documents, the improvement and development of the state system of environmental protection and management is to be carried out, in particular, by providing scientific, information and innovative support for the management decision-making process, by establishing corresponding environmental information resources, systems, databases and their cyber defense, by using electronic information and media communications in the environmental field. Under the current conditions of social development, the environmental field is becoming one of the platforms for the implementation of innovative Industry 4.0 technologies – digitalization and automation of many technological and organizational processes, the usage of artificial intelligence, the Internet of things etc. accompanying the regulation of environmental and adjacent economic relations. These recent development tendencies require scientific substantiation and an adequate political, organizational, economic and legal response. Аnalysis of recent researches and publications. The issues of the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the field of environmental management and protection are quite recent and still poorly researched within the national legal science. Nevertheless, some of them have already been explored in the scientific works among the economic fields, environmental, economic, land and agrarian law. In particular, the digitalization of regulation of these social relations has become the scientific focus of such scholars as N. Malysheva, O. Vinnyk, I. Maksymova, V. Kurylyak, K. Yefremova, M. Khaustova, K. Markevych, S. Romanko, V. Sydor, O. Lozo, O. Onishchenko and others. Thus, the scholars have studied the legal issues of digitalization in the environmental field in correlation with the corresponding economic processes, in the environmental and legal policy of Ukraine and other states regarding climate change, have analyzed the role of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies in addressing climate change, have determined ways of implementing the European digital policy etc. At the same time, the legal regulation of implementing digitalization in the field of environmental management and protection in the course of economic activity remains relevant. Purpose of research is to study the legal issues and features of legal support for the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies, in particular, digitalization, automation, artificial intelligence etc. in the field of natural resource management and environmental protection; for this purpose, it also includes analyzing the main program and strategic documents and other legislative acts regulating these issues as well as drawing scientific, theoretical and practical conclusions and formulating potential ways of improving the corresponding legislation. Аrticle’s main body. The article deals with the scientific, theoretical and practical analysis of the implementation and application of Industry 4.0 technologies in the field of legal regulation of natural resource management and environmental protection. Author has analyzed the main legislative acts of general strategic, program and industry levels in this field. The article singles out the main directions of implementing digitalization and other Industry 4.0 technologies, in particular, formulating the environmental and climate state policy, carrying out the economic activity using natural resources, their management and environmental protection. The article examines the features of legal regulation of implementing the digital technologies into various fields of natural resource management and environmental protection, in particular, subsoil and forest use, environmental impact assessment, environmental monitoring and natural resources record. The goals and the role of digital transformation of the environmental management system, such as de-bureaucratization of the economic activity, simplification of the permit system and direct access to state registers, fight against corruption in the field of natural resources distribution and prevention of corresponding risks, achievement of transparency in providing natural resources for use in economic activity, simplification of recording procedures for arising or termination of the natural resource management right have been determined and analyzed. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The implementation of digitalization in the environmental management and protection is a highly dynamic and comprehensive process that is developing and covering more and more fields of economy, economic, law and public life. Nowadays, Ukraine is successfully implementing digitalization and other Industry 4.0 technologies considering its European integration commitment, prospects of strengthening economic and environmental partnership with the EU, and the need to find ways of post-war restoration and climate-neutral green transformation of the state economy. The implementation of digitalization as an innovative tool for the natural resource management optimization at the current stage is undoubtedly a step forward towards the adoption of European values and standards, including transparency and simplification of economic activity using natural resources, and fight against corruption in this field. However, there are still fields that require scientific and legislative attention from the perspective of sustainable development and have significant opportunities and reserves for the use of digital technologies and tools, such as environmental and ecological resources security, emergency response and civil protection, waste management, adaption to climate change and climate policy establishment, agriculture and other areas. Many benefits of digital technologies in various production sectors, economic activity, and regulation of environmental relations have been proved. These include, in particular, efficiency, time saving, modernization, convenience, transparency (access of the public, entities and management bodies to certain types of necessary information), acceleration and simplification of legal and organizational procedures (de-bureaucratization of permit and contractual systems). At the same time, the implementation of digital technologies into any field, including environmental, should be controlled, balanced, cost-effective, environmentally and energetically efficient, and safe for society.

West Java is a region in Indonesia experiencing significant population growth and economic activity, leading to a substantial increase in energy demand and presenting challenges for sustainable energy resource management. Energy is fundamental to economic and social activities, and efficient, sustainable management is essential for balancing economic growth with environmental preservation. Modeling energy usage intensity is crucial for understanding the dynamics of energy consumption and its influencing factors. This study aims to develop a model that accurately represents energy consumption patterns in West Java using a dynamic systems approach. The study utilizes Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD) and Stock Flow Diagrams (SFD) to systematically map and model the intricate dynamics of the energy system, providing a comprehensive understanding of the interactions and influences among various factors. The model was validated by comparing its outputs with historical data and calculating a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). This enhances confidence in the analyses and recommendations derived from the model, making it a valuable tool for understanding and influencing energy usage patterns in West Java. In conclusion, this study not only provides deep insights into energy consumption in West Java but also offers practical approaches for improved energy management, supporting sustainable development and environmental protection in the region.

The focus of this paper is to study reviewof policy related to Ethiopian wildlife conservation and management. The purpose is to provide information on wildlife policy, legal issues, challenges in implementing the existing wildlife laws, and gap analyses. The methodology used literature and document review. Ethiopia has wildlife policies and laws to conserve, protect, and develop its wildlife. The reviewed data analysed through SWOT (Strength Weakness Opportunity Threats) analysis techniques.The study revealed gaps in Ethiopian wildlife strategy policies and laws, including private management of protected areas, the need for environmental impact assessments, and community benefits. Besides, weak law enforcement, illegal wildlife trafficking, and limited technology in combating wildlife crimes are observed in wildlife conservation while implementing the existing law (i.e., Proclamation No. 575/2008). Despite policy and law gaps, their availability could attract international and national organizations to contribute to ecotourism development. It is concluded that, filling in the gaps in policy and legal matters on wildlife strategy requires working with law enforcement, strengthening the prosecutors' skills, leveraging modern technologies, and creating plans to reduce poaching and trafficking.

Policy development is essential for the development of child and adolescent mental health services. The gaps in policy and knowledge on how to develop policy have hindered the development of sustainable services. The WHO has now objectively identified gaps in child and adolescent mental health policy and services worldwide through its Atlas project. Others have identified the need to use evidence-based interventions in developing services and the need for ongoing evaluation. These latter elements are essential for effective policy implementation. Data are now available worldwide to move forward with advocacy for child and adolescent mental health policy development.

Growing attention to the unique ways in which women of color’s bodies are racially profiled and policed has prompted questions concerning gender-specific impacts of law enforcement practices. Arrest statistics, patterns of enforcement, and high-profile cases of police violence against Black women and other women of color suggest that gaps in policy and implementation will disproportionately affect women of color. In the current research, the policies of 36 police departments across the country were examined to ascertain the degree to which they address profiling, police sexual misconduct, and other gendered experiences of policing. The findings reveal considerable divergence in attention to regulating police behavior in the context of interactions with women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, exposing important gaps in police policies, and highlight a need for further research and action specifically focused on intersectional factors at play in the context of policing women’s bodies.

Climatic characteristics of foreign low latitude plateau regions are firstly introduced. Then, experience and lessons of major foreign low latitude plateau countries in developing modern agriculture are analyzed, including Indian three agricultural revolutions and agricultural informationization development, application of agricultural biotechnology in Brazil, trade liberalization and economic de-agriculture of Mexico, and Argentina, Saudi Arabia and South Africa attaching great importance to developing modern agriculture relying on science and technology and paying close attention to resource conservation and environmental protection. Combining natural and social resource characteristics of Yunnan plateau agriculture, pertinent implications and recommendations for modern agricultural development in Yunnan are put forward. Specifically, these include strengthening agricultural sci-tech research and development, and extension and application; transforming agricultural development model; enhancing agricultural resource conservation and environmental protection; accelerating developing mountain organic ecological agricultural and autumn agriculture; reinforcing urban and rural integration to develop plateau characteristic agriculture on the basis of local actual conditions.