Tigray, Ethiopia was an environmental success tale but the war has undone decades of regreening.

An Permanent 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 have been forced into using firewood, resulting in the loss of vegetation in an area at the forefront for environmental rehabilitation. This is the key finding in our new report, published by the Conflict and Environment Observatory.

Tigray is semiarid and the people who live there are similar to most of Ethiopia’s population. DependsA large portion of their diet is subsistence agriculture, which is fed by rainwater. 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 Effectsproductivity. In the 1990s, Tigray became the government. adoptedA conservation-based policy to address persistent hunger and low agricultural productivity.

The new strategy aimed to improve the land. Retention of water and soilTwo key ingredients in agricultural production are. This involved building soil berms (raised barriers), which slowed down water flow overland and reduced erosion rates.

It also meant that ponds could be created in which runoff water could stored. It also meant that livestock could not graze on degraded land and that wood could not be cut in these areas to encourage its regeneration. These exclosures act as sponges and allow rainwater to infiltrate soil rather than run off.

This approach has been in use for more than three decades TransformedThe Tigrayan landscape was a model for restoring trees and shrubs and reducing erosion. It also helped to raise groundwater tables. This allowed for expansion of irrigated agricultural and, most importantly – increased agricultural yields. Increasing.

These mountain slopes have terraces that trap soil and slow down the flow. Over the past several decades, Tigrayans have worked in exchange for food and/or money. However, they were often not paid to create soil and water conservation structures that transform the landscape and make it more productive.

Why war is bad for trees

However, this success is now in jeopardy due to the war that began in Nov 2020. Since then, the region is under siege. blockadeThis has caused a collapse of fuel and food supplies. Electricity has been disrupted, unreliable, and banking services and telecommunications 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. The declines in vegetation were clearly visible in the few satellite images that Google Earth has made available after November 2020.

It was difficult to gauge the extent, as the problem is still in the region. It is difficult to access. We decided to use open-access data from EUs. Copernicus satellitesThese images are regularly updated and provide images of Tigray in its entirety.

We searched for areas where woody vegetation had decreased since the war began and found some hotspots that showed a strong decline in. NDVIThe most common indicator of greenness in the landscape 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 the Tigrayan landscape demonstrates that loss of woody vegetation can lead to soil erosion and water runoff, decreasing agricultural productivity in an area already suffering from widespread hunger and anticipating another drought this year. Long-term, the pressures from Climate ChangeYou can expect more droughts and downpours.

The destruction of woody vegetation, which is a vital component of soil and water conservation, is occurring at a critical time for Tigray’s long-term well-being. A positive note is that previous landscape restoration efforts have provided a buffer against the environmental impact of war. This is because woody vegetation losses are likely to be occurring from a higher base than they would have previously.

We do not know the impact of the war on the wildlife or water cycles in the region. It is possible that neighboring regions, such as Amhara or Afar, where the conflict has spilled over since July 2021 could also be affected.

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 can ensure the long-term wellbeing and well-being of those living in conflict-affected zones.