Bush encroachment:a major threat to pastoralists livelihood in Ethiopia

摘要

@@Introduction Ethiopia has a vast area of rangeland (61 to 67 ％ of the land area) located around the periphery and they are found below 1,500 m.a.s.l.They support pastoral and agro-pastoral communities (mostly Somalia,Afar and Borana) of about 9.8 million people belonging to 29 ethnic groups.The rangelands are not only important for livestock raising but also for wildlife habitats,ecotourism,irrigated agriculture,medicinal plants,conservation of biodiversity,and exploitation of natural resources (Abule et al.,2005).However,bush encroachment,the process of open grassland savanna being transformed into bushes & shrubs,is a major problem.Therefore,the objective of this paper is to review the status of bush encroachment and its effect on the livelihood of the pastoralists in Ethiopia.