Native Pasture Conditions and Utilization Status in the Amarti and Nashe Wetlands, Western Oromia, Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/star.v13i1.11Keywords:
Native pasture, Overgrazing, Pasture storage, Soil Degradation, WetlandsAbstract
The goal of the research was to assess how natural pastures in the Amarti and Nashe wetlands were being used, as well as the current state of the wetlands. A semi-structured questionnaire and observation were used in a formal survey. During the project, interviews were conducted with 105 households that were directly benefited by the wetlands. Around the Nashe wetland compared to the Amarti wetland areas, there was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the average household family size, animal holding, crop holding, and grazing land holding. In comparison to the Amarti wetland, the mean animal herd size around the Nashe wetland was substantially (p<0.05) larger. During the dry season, the primary source of cattle feed in the Amarti and Nashe wetland areas was the wetland natural pasture, accounting for 68.6% and 51.3% of animal intake, respectively. The wetlands surrounding Amarti and Nashe wetland areas were rated as being poor by roughly 43.8% and 62.5% of respondents, respectively. The primary causes of this poor quality were pasture land shrinkage, overgrazing, upland soil deterioration, and a lack of understanding regarding the management of wetland resources. In Amarti, the anticipated stocking rate was 2.39 TLU/ha, whereas in the Nashe wetland, it was 7.75 TLU/ha. The evaluated wetlands needed to be improved, particularly during the dry season, as they were overstocked, had low species richness and were generally in poor shape.
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