THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF AGROFORESTRY IN COMMUNITY-BASED PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT (CBPAM). THE CASE OF GAMBELLA NATIONAL PARK

Abstract

. Introduction Human interference into forests in protected area is becoming common in all major blocks of remaining tropical forest (Witte 1992; Verissimo et al. 1995; Coomes et al. 2000; Kammesheidt 2002). The combined effects of selective logging and unsustainable farming practices in agricultural frontiers are expected to result in considerable loss of biodiversity. Conversion of tropical protected area into various land use systems has serious impacts on distribution, community structure and population characteristics of flora (van Gemerdenet al. 2003). Following centuries of deforestation, many tropical protected area ecosystems are severely threatened and exist only as forest fragments (Myers et al. 2000). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (1994) defined protected areas as ―land or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means‖. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), however, uses a different definition ―a geographically defined area which is designated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives‖ (Phillips, 2003). Both the IUCN and the CBD agree that protected areas are used as environmental conservation units and use different terminologies such as national Parks, wildlife sanctuary, nature reserve, game reserve, game ranch and nature conservancy (Mulder and Coppolillo, 2005) Improving the well-being of poor people along with the sustainable management of natural resources are global targets under the United Nation‘s sustainable development goals (UN General Assembly, 2015). The exploitation of the world‘s natural resources is occurring at such an alarming rate that the livelihoods of poor people could become even more precarious in the near future, especially in the global south (Fisher et al,2018; Rauch T, et al,2014; (Berta et al., 2015a). Comparable to other developing countries, Ethiopia is facing severe pressure on its natural resources, as more than 80% of the population depend on them (ICRAF, 2014). Food 2 insecurity and land degradation have grown as major problems impacting the livelihoods of the people (Chalise, et al ,2019, (Suryanto et al., 2011). Currently, community forestry (CF), a forest management approach where local communities are provided with a certain degree of responsibility and authority for the forest management is regarded as the most effective way of addressing the subsistence needs of local people (Charnley S et al.; 2007). Over the last few decades, CF has been a priority for policy makers (Gauld, R ,2000) to address forest degradation and widespread rural poverty in a single package of programs by mobilizing local people (Maryudi, A.; et al ,2012). However, the maximal use by local people has created a heavy pressure in CF thereby inducing land degradation and biodiversity loss (Shrestha, K.; et al ,2009). To tackle these issues of degradation and to obtain a high and sustained level of production, agroforestry (AF) has been recognized as the most efficient land management system, as it integrates different land use practices on a single unit of land (Conacher, et al ; 2009; Sheppard, J. et al ;2020). Recently, AF has received significant attention for its efficiency in conserving natural resources along with improving livelihoods reducing pressure on protected area managed by community participation. (Cedamon, E et al. 2017, van Noordwijk, 2021). AF is defined as a land use system in which woody perennials are included within the agricultural landscapes and where both ecological and economical interactions occur between the woody and non-woody components for various social, economic and environmental benefits (Oelbermann, M.; et al; 2004). AF incorporates the optimal use of the land for the woody and non-woody components and provides several effects on a sustainable basis that are beneficial, such as biodiversity conservation (Torralba, M et al.;,2016), soil erosion control, and climate change mitigation (Muchane, M.,et al ;2020), protection of (ground)water quality (Allen, S.C et al ;2004) and household food security and income (Barrios, E. et al ; 2018). The common traditional agroforestry practices in tropical region are scattered trees on crop fields, homestead tree planting and multi-story home garden (Nair PKR 1984 and 1993) described agroforestry practice of Ethiopia as largely agrisilvicultural with spatial mixed arrangement, which is mainly practiced for soil fertility replenishing function for poor soil. Others (Berta et al., 2015a)also described the traditional agroforestry practices in different part of the country as Coffee Shade based scattered trees on the farm land, home gardens, woodlots, farm boundary practices, and trees on grazing lands. 3 In this scheme agroforestry have an important position to accelerate prospective management in Gambela national Park (Berta et al., 2015a). Agroforestry offers important livelihood benefits (World Bank, 2005). It is as a smallholder tree growing to mitigate the pressure on remaining forest resources and safe guard ecological and socio-economic sustainability (FAO 2006). Agroforestry has also helped in reducing the dependency of the local farmers on national parks and other protected area through community involvement (Murniati et al., 2001). More recently, the role of agroforestry in mitigating climate change primarily through carbon sequestration has also been highlighted (IPCC, 2000, 2007).