Protecting the Endangered Biodiversity in The Gilgel-Gibe Rivers Basins Ethiopia: Need for Multi-Disciplinary Approaches and Enlightenments.

Abstract

The major objectives of the survey were: To ascertain the degree of endangering the biodiversity in the basins; to inform the professionals and farmers how their activities contribute to environmental degradation; to encourage the communities to initiate mitigating measures to arrest environmental degradation; to influence the farmers, fuel-wood dealers and brick industrialists to be aware of environmental protection laws; to fight desertification; to be conscious of environmental degradation; and to conserve the ecosystem in the basin. Scope and Population included the Forest workers in the various Wareda sharing the basin, farmers on the banks of the river, and the patrons of the flora and fauna there for commercial purposes - fuel and Lumber Dealers using Trucks; Block Industries; Local fishermen and hunter - in the Gilgel and Gibe basins. Interviews and focused group discussions [the number of respondents per group ranged between 8 and 15 depending on the mobilization of the community leaders] were conducted in 20 settlements 20 km on the banks up the Gilgel river and 20 settlements from Gibe Dam up river were covered. The findings reveal that the basin is a major food basket in Ethiopia, and arable and animal farming have been going on there since time immemorial with the gradual consequence of environmental degradation in many forms. The project concluded with submission of suggestions like the need for government to embark on awareness campaign to enlighten farmers and professionals on the need to conserve natural resources, obey the environmental protection laws, and need for grants for indepth researches on the impact of human activities on the biodiversity of basins. The flora and fauna in the basins are already endangered. Perhaps, tree planting and other methods that can forestall the imminent erosion and desert incursions are a desideratum. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Vol. 1 (1) 2008: pp. 56-63