process,
technical
s.
es, which
id slightly
% of the
LANDSAT/TM satellite
images from 1986 to 1990
show that Ethiopia’s forest
cover had since then been
reduced to 3.93 96, or 45,055
sqkm (Ministry of Water
Resources, 1997). The figures
refer to an annual deforestation
rate of 163.600 ha. This means
that up to 1999, the size of
Ethiopia's natural high forests
has been reduced to 2.36 94,
respectively 27,059 sqkm.
Today, larger forest areas can
only be found in very remote
and inaccessible areas of S and
SW Ethiopia.
A detailed analysis of the
density classes shows that
between 1973 and 1990, the
area coverage of closed forest
stands had been reduced from
30,243 sqkm (2.64 96 of the
country's area) to 2,346 sqkm
Country Coverage [95]
7.0
6.0 4
5.0 -
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
Reusing, Matthias
oi
1973 to 1976 1986 to 1990 today
Time
Figure 2. Deforestation rates in Ethiopia
(0.2 % of the country’s area). The ongoing exploitation could be documented by the fact that within the same time span,
the share of severely degraded high forest increased from 0.87 % to 3.08 %.
The following figure shows the extent and the area dynamics of the forest degradation by human impact in Ethiopia
between 1973 and 1990.
34°
Human Impact on Forests in
Ethiopia from 1973 to 1990
BEN No Change
Low Impact
Moderate Impact
EE High Impact
[1 Research Area SW Ethiopia
9 Matthias Reusing (1999)
200 «lomerers
Ar River
[ | Lake
OO COUNTRY CAPITAL
[CT] REGION (No)
er giz) German Technical Cooperation
Figure. 3. Forest degradation in Ethiopia between 1973 and 1990
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part B7. Amsterdam 2000. 1255