ROLE OF SCATTERED TREES FOR BUFFERING VEGETATION RESOURCE DEGRADATION: CASE OF MAGO NATIONAL PARK

Abstract

1. Introduction 1.1. Background and justification The use of natural resources has long been considered as both human rights and economic development (Adaba, 2011; Demeke and Bekele, 2000). However, over time exploitation levels came to exceed the resources’ natural regeneration rates due to increased demands for resource use related to the progressive industrialization, population increase. Such overexploitation ultimately threatens the livelihoods and wellbeing of people who depend on these resources and jeopardizes the health of the ecosystems (Tolera, et al., 2008). While protected areas, particularly national parks, are one of the management strategies to protect wild species and their habitats, places of natural attractiveness, historic heritage, and native cultures to maintain ecosystems health, to ensure food security, and climate regulation, (Gebru, 2018). Ethiopia has efforts in establishing national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and reserves to gain environmental and economic benefits but the value obtained from the protected areas is very low particularly in Mago national park (Solomon & Dereje, 2015; Nishizaki, 2005). Because, most of the protected areas of the country are degrading due to serious challenges faced from the illegal settlement, illegal poaching of wildlife, deforestation, illegal agricultural expansion, conflicts on competing park resources, habitat destruction, grazing of livestock, soil degradation, bush fire by cultivators around the park, charcoal production and over-exploitation of natural resources (Nishizaki, 2005; Getachew & Weldemariam, 2016). However, similar to many parks, Mago national park is surrounded or buffered by landscapes of mixed land uses, including those with isolated trees or trees occurring scattered in groups, either remaining from the original forest or planted deliberately (Manning et al. 2006). Therefore, those scattered multipurpose trees grown either in farmlands or other landscapes in the buffer zone of the park are play an important role in reducing dependences from the park by providing fuel-wood, fodder, providing shade, improving micro-climate, increasing productivity, ensuring food security, and conserving biodiversity ( Boffa, 2000; Adaba, 2011; Tscharntke et al., 2011; Gebru, 2018).