Impact of Deforestation and Climate Change in Ethiopia (Published)
The ever increasing demand of farmland, fuel wood and charcoal production including increase has accelerated the speed of forest reduction in Ethiopia. Forests have significant importance to our ecosystems in protecting the earth from global climate change temperature change global climate change by absorbing CO2, in preserving watersheds, in providing natural products like wood and nonwood forest products. Though forests play such critical environmental and economic roles for the sustainability of life on Earth, the number and quality of forests is declining from time to time. This loss of forest biodiversity is thanks to various reasons, most of which are anthropogenic. Deforestation has many negative consequences like loss of biodiversity, climate change, degradation of soils, disruption of hydrological cycles, desertification, economic loss and social conflicts. The rate of deforestation are often bogged down considerably and its negative socioeconomic and environmental impacts are often minimized through improved protection and management of the remaining forests, well targeted socioeconomic development programs, and thru policy and institutional reforms. Developing countries, like Ethiopia are highly susceptible to the impacts of global climate change due to their limited potential to mitigate and adapt. Therefore, the subsequent mitigation measures are mandatory to save lots of the country. These are providing energy sources, conserving the remaining natural forests and to market plantations and regeneration of abandoned agricultural fields.
Keywords: Climate Change, Ethiopia, Impact of deforestation