An integrated framework for improving watershed management planning

Ayele Almaw Fenta; Atsushi Tsunekawa; Nigussie Haregeweyn; Mitsuru Tsubo; Hiroshi Yasuda; Takayuki Kawai; Mulatu Liyew Berihun; Kindiye Ebabu; Dagnenet Sultan; Shigdaf Mekuriaw

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.116872

An integrated framework for improving watershed management planning

Environ Res. 2023 Nov 1;236(Pt 2):116872. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116872. Epub 2023 Aug 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan. Electronic address: ayelealmaw@tottori-u.ac.jp.
² Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan.
³ International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan.
⁴ Graduate School of International Resource Sciences, Akita University, 1-1 Tegatagakuen-machi, Akita 010-8502, Japan.
⁵ Faculty of Civil and Water Resource Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia; Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, FL, 33031, USA.
⁶ Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan; College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 1289, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
⁷ Faculty of Civil and Water Resource Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
⁸ Amhara Region Agricultural Research Institute, Andassa Livestock Research Center, P.O. Box 27, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

PMID: 37573022
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116872

Abstract

Proper land use and management (LUM) planning is pivotal to curbing land degradation and ensuring sustainable use of limited watershed resources. Despite decades of research and development efforts, land degradation remains a serious environmental problem in many parts of the world. Issues regarding the sustainability of current LUM initiatives are due to poor linkages between the ecological and socio-economic dimensions of LUM decisions, and an integrated framework allowing LUM interventions to be properly planned and implemented is lacking. In this study, we developed an integrated framework to identify, evaluate, and propose LUM alternatives with ecological and socio-economic benefits. The framework comprises six components: (i) identification of land use problems and setting of objectives, (ii) identification of the best-performing land use-based integrated solutions, (iii) formulation of LUM alternatives and modeling of key indicators, (iv) cost-benefit analysis, (v) evaluation of the LUM alternatives with stakeholders engagement, and (vi) communication of the LUM alternatives to relevant stakeholders to obtain institutional and financial support for implementation. To demonstrate the use of this framework, we conducted a case study in the Aba Gerima watershed of the Upper Blue Nile basin in Ethiopia. This study used extensive plot- and watershed-scale observations (2015-2019) obtained under both conventional and improved sustainable land management practices. We analyzed changes in runoff, soil loss, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, and land productivity of five LUM alternatives as compared to a baseline scenario (existing farming practices). The results showed that the LUM alternatives reduced runoff by 11-71% and soil loss by 66-95%, and SOC stock and watershed-scale land productivity were improved by 36-104% and 48-134%, respectively. Evaluation of LUM alternatives by stakeholders, including land users, policy makers, and researchers, produced divergent results. In particular, land users prioritized implementation of sustainable land management practices without altering existing land uses. The integrated framework developed in this study can serve as a valuable tool for identifying, evaluating, and proposing LUM alternatives and facilitating decision-making in planning and implementation of LUM practices in watersheds experiencing land degradation.

Keywords: Dryland; Ecological benefits; Economic benefits; Land productivity improvement; Stakeholders engagement; Sustainable land management.