Tigray, Ethiopia was an environmental success story. The war ended decades of regreening.

An Continuation of warOne of the most important international conflicts between the Ethiopian government, its allies, and Tigray, one its northern states, has been led to one of the largest. Humanitarian crises.

Satellite data was used to track how conflict and the resulting energy crisis have also damaged the relationship between people and nature. People were forced to use firewood, which has caused a loss in vegetation in an area that is at the forefront of environmental rehabilitation. This is the key finding of the new report by the Conflict and Environment Observatory.

Tigray, which is semi-arid like most of Ethiopia’s, has people who live there. DependsSubsistence agriculture is a major part of their diet. Insufficient rainfall or other factors can cause cropping to be disrupted, and alternative income sources or food are often insufficient. This can lead to catastrophes such as the 1980s.

Conventional agricultural development policies, such as farmers having access to fertilisers and loans, have not had the desired results. modest Effectson productivity. The Tigray government was established in the 1990s. adoptedTo address persistent food insecurity, low agricultural productivity, and to promote conservation.

The new strategy aimed to improve the land. Retention of water, soilTwo key ingredients in agricultural production are. This meant that stone and soil berms were built. These raised barriers slowed down the flow of water overland, thereby reducing erosion.

It also meant that ponds could be created in which runoff water could stored. It also prohibited livestock from grazing on the degraded areas and prevented wood cutting to allow it to regenerate. These exclosures act as sponges and allow rainwater to infiltrate soil rather than run off.

This approach has been used for over three decades TransformedThe Tigrayan landscape has seen widespread recovery of trees, shrubs, and reduced erosion, as well as rising groundwater tables and decreased erosion. This allowed for the expansion of irrigated farming and, most importantly, increased agricultural yields. Increased.

These mountain slopes have terraces that trap soil and slow down the flow. People from Tigray have been working for food and money over the past decades to transform the landscape and make it more productive.

Why war is bad for trees

This success is now at risk due to the conflict that began in November 2020. Since then, the region is under siege. blockadeThis has caused a collapse of fuel and food supplies. Electricity has been disrupted and is no longer reliable. Banking and telecommunication services have been suspended.

This has caused a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions: 1.8million people have been DisplacedFar from their homes, 83% of Tigray’s population are said to live in Tigray. Acute food shortages.

People may be forced to use local wood sources to cook fuel because they are not able to access other sources. This is despite the fact that there are regulations against cutting vegetation in exclosures. We were contacted in Tigray by people concerned about the effects of the energy crisis on trees, shrubs, and forests. In the few satellite images made available by Google Earth, which were open-access and high-resolution, vegetation declines can be clearly seen.

It was difficult to gauge the extent, as the problem is still in the region. Accessible but difficult to find. We decided to use open-access data from EUs. Copernicus satellitesThese images provide regular updates of Tigray’s entire territory.

We searched for areas in which woody vegetation had declined after the war and found certain hotspots where there was a significant decrease in. NDVIA common index of landscape greenness is. These hotspots of woody plant decline are not the only possible drivers.

While woody vegetation was still thriving in Tigray’s other locations during the same time, vegetation recovery was slower than in pre-conflict years. This led us to conclude the conflict was likely intensifying declines.

The history of Tigrayan landscapes shows that the loss of woody vegetation causes soil erosion and water runoff. This leads to decreased agricultural productivity in a region already experiencing widespread hunger and expecting another drought. The long-term effects of climate change will be felt in the long-term. Climate changeThis includes increasing downpours that can contribute to erosion and the likelihood of continued droughts.

At a crucial time for the long-term wellbeing in Tigray, woody vegetation is being eroded. Positively, the war’s previous landscape restoration efforts are helping to buffer the environmental impact of the war. Woody vegetation is likely to be lost from a higher level than it was before.

We don’t know yet what the war will do to the wildlife and water cycles of the region. The conflict has also impacted neighboring regions like Amhara and Afar since July 2021.

It is vital that the environmental impact of war be fully assessed on the ground in order for recovery strategies to be developed. Only a healthy environment will ensure that people in conflict-affected regions are well-off for the long-term.