Impact of Resettlement Program on Forest Cover Change: The Case of Anbessa Forest, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

<i>Background</i>: Resettlement has been considered as a viable solution to the continual impoverishment of Ethiopian rural populations. But it has considerable impacts on natural resources. This study was carried out on impact of resettlement program on forest cover change the case of Anbessa forest. <i>Methods:</i> ArcGIS 10.5, ERDAS Imagine 2015, Landsat satellite imageries were acquired from USGS to analyze LULC for 44 years. The images of the area were categorized into five different LULC classes; namely dense forest, open forest, shrub land, agricultural land and settlement. Through simple random sampling procedure, a total of 129 households were selected from the total of 1941 households. Data were collected using questionnaires, GPS, interviews, focus group discussions and field observations and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively by descriptive statistics. <i>Results:</i> The results revealed that during the last 44 years, agricultural land (698ha to 15180ha) and settlement area (72ha to 13270ha) were increased, while dense forest, open forest and shrub land were decreased. The cause of forest cover change is directly linked with settlers as result expansion of agricultural activities, forest fire, fuel wood collection and constructional materials. Moreover, results revealed that deforestation, loss of biodiversity, hydrological impact and land degradation were the main consequences of forest cover change. <i>Conclusions</i>: Resettlement scheme has resulted in the depletion and dynamics of forest cover in Anbessa forest. From the current study, it was found that the area is under problem of deforestation, which calls for immediate attention from all concerned bodies.