Socio-Economic Impacts of Community Based Area Closure: The Case of Boset Woreda, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2022-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Land degradation is a major environmental problem for both developed and developing nations. Area closure has recently emerged as one of the strategies to rehabilitate and restore degraded environments in many parts of the world. Despite wider expansion of the practice limited studies exist on its socioeconomic advantages. Therefore, this study examines the socio-economic impacts of community based area closure in the Boset Woreda of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Data was generated from 301 household surveys using simple random sampling techniques. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis were employed. The study findings revealed that about 60.1% of the respondents disagreed towards the establishments of area closure due to lack of awareness about the benefit. After establishment almost all respondents supported the idea of expanding the experience further in their respective localities. The majority of respondents (96 percent) also confirmed that the initiative provided socioeconomic and environmental benefits, as it contributed to soil conservation, improved animal feed, increased honey production and biological diversity in the area, increased productivity of adjacent farmlands, increased the esthetic value of the land, and created conducive environmental conditions for the local communities benefiting. Respondents identified reduction of farm plots, a lack of strong stakeholder collaboration to protect and manage the area closure, and restrictions on livestock movement as major issues associated with the establishment of the area closure in the study area. The study concludes that community-based area closure has improved the socioeconomic status of the community in the study area and has become a viable option for addressing rural poverty.
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Keywords
Socio-economic, Area closure, Community based, Rehabilitation