Harehuwa exclosure

Harehuwa is an exclosure located in the Dogu'a Tembien woreda of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The area has been protected since 1999 by the local community.

Harehuwa exclosure
Map showing the location of Harehuwa exclosure
Map showing the location of Harehuwa exclosure
LocationMahbere Sillasie municipality, in Dogu’a Tembien district, Ethiopia
Nearest cityHagere Selam
Coordinates13.679°N 39.158°E / 13.679; 39.158
Established1999

Environmental characteristics[1]
  • Average slope gradient: 55%
  • Aspect: the exclosure is oriented towards the west
  • Minimum altitude: 2180 metres
  • Maximum altitude: 2300 metres
  • Lithology: Adigrat Sandstone

Management

As a general rule, cattle ranging and wood harvesting are not allowed. The grasses are harvested once yearly and taken to the homesteads of the village to feed livestock. Physical soil and water conservation has been implemented to enhance infiltration, and vegetation growth.

Benefits for the community

Setting aside such areas fits with the long-term vision of the communities, where hiza’iti lands are set aside for use by the future generations. It also has direct benefits for the community:[2]

  • improved infiltration
  • improved ground water availability
  • honey production
  • climate ameliorator (temperature, moisture)
  • carbon sequestration, dominantly sequestered in the soil, and additionally in the woody vegetation[3]

Improved ecosystem

With vegetation growth, biodiversity in this exclosure has strongly improved: there is more varied vegetation and wildlife.

Trees

The main tree species found in the exclosure are:[1]

Soils

The main soil type in the exclosure are Phaeozems, essentially a remnant of the time when the area was covered with natural forest.[1]

References
  1. Descheemaeker, K. and colleagues (2006). "Sediment deposition and pedogenesis in exclosures in theTigray highlands, Ethiopia". Geoderma. 132 (3–4): 291–314. Bibcode:2006Geode.132..291D. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2005.04.027.
  2. Jacob, M. and colleagues (2019). Exclosures as Primary Option for Reforestation in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  3. De Deyn, Jonathan (2019). Benefits of reforestation on Carbon storage and water infiltration in the context of climate mitigation in North Ethiopia. Master thesis, Ghent University.
  4. Lantana viburnoides (Forssk.) Vahl https://eol.org/pages/5385537
  5. Rhus natalensis Bernh. ex C. Krauss https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=136770
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.