Samenvatting
Lake Tana is the largest freshwater lake in Ethiopia and is the source of the Blue Nile. The lake shorelines and those of its tributary river, Gilgel Abay, are characterized by the occurrence of extensive papyrus swamps (Cyperus papyrus L). While such papyrus swamps are highly recognized for their outstanding ecological and economical importance, their historical and current spatial distribution and size in the Lake Tana sub basin have not yet been systematically assessed. The primary goal of this study was to estimate the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of papyrus swamps in the Lake Tana sub basin at five-year intervals over a period of 35 years (1985–2020). Our analyses revealed that the total surface area of the papyrus swamps in the study area declined by almost 55% (from 152 km² to 64 km²) during the last 35 years. The small patches of papyrus swamps that existed in the northern and eastern parts of the study area prior to the 1990s appear to have disappeared in recent years as well. Our data suggest that the strong decline of papyrus swamps mainly resulted from the expansion of crop farming, livestock overgrazing, drainage, and biomass overharvesting, all of which are increasing over time.
| Originele taal-2 | English |
|---|---|
| Artikelnummer | 6 |
| Aantal pagina's | 16 |
| Tijdschrift | Wetlands |
| Volume | 43 |
| Nummer van het tijdschrift | 1 |
| DOI's | |
| Status | Published - jan 2023 |
Bibliografische nota
Funding Information:The authors are grateful to Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad–Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (VLIR-UOS) for financing this study. The first author was a recipient of an IUC (Institutional University Cooperation) Ph.D. scholarship from VLIR (ET2017IUC036A103) to carry out this work. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB-BAS42) and Bahir Dar University are thanked for their financial and logistic support. The authors would like to thank the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for disseminating the long-term Landsat satellite dataset. We are grateful to Wubneh Belete of Amhara design and supervision works enterprise for his help with the Google Earth Engine scripts and for providing us with some field photographs. Dr. Ayalew Wondie, Bahir Dar University is thanked for providing field photographs.
Funding Information:
This study was financially supported by VLIR-UOS (ET2017IUC036A103).
Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad–Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (VLIR-UOS) for financing this study. The first author was a recipient of an IUC (Institutional University Cooperation) Ph.D. scholarship from VLIR (ET2017IUC036A103) to carry out this work. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB-BAS42) and Bahir Dar University are thanked for their financial and logistic support. The authors would like to thank the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for disseminating the long-term Landsat satellite dataset. We are grateful to Wubneh Belete of Amhara design and supervision works enterprise for his help with the Google Earth Engine scripts and for providing us with some field photographs. Dr. Ayalew Wondie, Bahir Dar University is thanked for providing field photographs.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of Wetland Scientists.
Copyright:
Copyright 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.