Interview with farmer in Komblocha Woreda.

Lake Ziway provides many ecosystem services. The lake’s fish production is high compared to other lakes in Ethiopia. However, the natural state of this lake is now greatly impacted due to over fishing, intensification of multiple land and water uses, and degradation of vegetation covers and subsequent expansion of agricultural practices. Yet, the poor inhabiting the catchments are unaware of what are happening on the ground. This project thus aims to assess and identify the current impacts on the ecosystem of Lake Ziway due to the existing forms of land and water use pressures in the catchments and shores, and to examine the changes being happened and the subsequent impacts on the socioeconomic activities of the livelihoods of communities living around.

This project will suggest solutions for local communities so as to lessen the impacts and maintain the wise use and sustainable management of resources. It will also suggest useful information for local decision makers to put sustainable management policies as to how the local communities can protect the lake ecosystems in a sustainable manner and as to how the local people depend in an environmentally friendly ways on lakes for their livelihoods from the Ethiopian context.

The project will finally make the local communities aware of their roles and how they can better identify their activities towards which land and water use practices are suitable and which are not in realizing the management and sustainability of the Lake Ziway. It then supports the efforts being undertaken by government and other local and international non-governmental organizations that are working on land and water conservation and management on Lake Ziway and its basins. It will also serve other conservationists as a basis to have monitored and predicted the conditions for other lakes in the country. Hence, this project is believed to lay foundation for the development of shared learning outcomes to improve the awareness level of the local community members towards the impacts of improper catchments land-use changes on aquatic ecosystem so as to ensure the benefits of conservation and sustainable management of lake and catchment resources for livelihoods.