Expansion of Eucalyptus Plantation on Fertile Cultivated Lands in the North-Western Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

Converting fertile, cultivated land into Eucalyptus plantations has become a common practice in Ethiopia. Integrating geospatial techniques with socio-economic data analysis can be a useful method to evaluate the expansion of Eucalyptus and its underlying factors. The objective of this study is to detect the spatio-temporal patterns and main factors contributing to Eucalyptus expansion in the Mecha district of Ethiopia. To quantify the spatial extents of Eucalyptus plantations, the study employed Landsat images from 1991 to 2021 with supervised image classification in ERDAS Imagine 2015. In addition, 120 households were chosen using random sampling technique to incorporate socioeconomic factors related to Eucalyptus expansion. The result shows that, Eucalyptus plantations expanded significantly across the study area during the last three decades. Eucalyptus plantation covered 908.87 ha, 3719.05 ha, and 26261.9 ha in 1991, 2006, and 2021, respectively. The increment was mostly at the expense of fertile cultivated land use. The main reasons for its expansion are linked with farmer’s expectations of a better source of income, apprehension about the detrimental effects on nearby cropland, and its affordable production cost. In conclusion, the study area faces challenges from the uncontrolled expansion of Eucalyptus plantations on productive lands. Therefore, careful management and intervention strategies should be established to manage its rapid expansion.