Your search found 207 records
1 Pender, J.; Place, F.; Ehui, S. (Eds.) 2006. Strategies for sustainable land management in the East African highlands. Washington, DC, USA: IFPRI. 483p.
Land management ; Land use ; Highlands ; Public policy ; Crop production ; Households ; Income ; Economic analysis ; Livestock ; Zero tillage ; Food security / East Africa / Kenya / Ethiopia / Uganda
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.76 G132 PEN Record No: H040276)
2 Ella, V. B. 2005. Simulating soil erosion and sediment yield in small upland watersheds using the WEPP model. In Coxhead, I.; Shively, G. (Eds.). Land use change in tropical watersheds: evidence, causes and remedies. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing. pp.109-125.
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: 333.76 G000 COX Record No: H041191)
3 Midmore, D. J.; Poudel, D. D.; Nissen, T. M.; Dano, A.; Zhu, G. 2005. Alternatives to traditional annual crop agriculture in the uplands: biophysical evidence from the Manupali River Watershed. In Coxhead, I.; Shively, G. (Eds.). Land use change in tropical watersheds: evidence, causes and remedies. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing. pp.133-146.
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: 333.76 G000 COX Record No: H041193)
4 Lestrelin, Guillaume; Pelletreau, A.; Valentin, Christian. 2007. Local knowledge and land degradation: a participatory case study in the uplands of the Lao PDR. In Gebbie, L.; Glendinning, A.; Lefroy-Braun, R.; Victor, M. (Eds.). Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Sloping Lands and Watershed Management: Linking Research to Strengthen upland Policies and Practices, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute of Lao PDR (NAFRI), Vientiane, Lao PDR, 2007. Vientiane, LAO PDR: National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute of Lao PDR (NAFRI) pp.270-286.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 631.4 708 LES Record No: H041509)
http://www.nafri.org.la/documents/SSLWM/SSLWMpapers/chapter3/ch3_04_lesterlin.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H041509.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H041509.pdf
5 Amede, T.; Delve, R. J. 2008. Modelling crop-livestock systems for achieving food security and increasing production efficiencies in the Ethiopian highlands. Experimental Agriculture, 44(4):441-452.
Food security ; Highlands ; Nutrition ; Households ; Models ; Income ; Food production ; Cropping systems ; Erosion ; Forage / Ethiopia / Gununo
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 338.19 G136 AME Record No: H041610)
6 Nyssen, J.; Poesen, J.; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Haregeweyn, N.; Haile, M.; Moeyersons, J.; Frankl, A.; Govers, G.; Munro, N.; Deckers, J. 2008. Effects of region-wide soil and water conservation in semi-arid areas: the case of northern Ethiopia. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 52(3):291-315.
Soil conservation ; Water conservation ; Highlands ; Erosion ; Bunds ; Reservoirs ; Sedimentation / Ethiopia / Tigray
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H041844)
(0.94 MB)
Studies on the impacts of environmental rehabilitation in semi-arid areas are often conducted over limited space and time scales, and do typically not include detailed biophysical components. This study makes a multi-scale assessment over a time span of 30 years of environmental rehabilitation in one of the world's most degraded areas: the Tigray highlands of Northern Ethiopia. The study shows that in Tigray sheet and rill erosion rates have decreased by approximately 68%, infiltration and spring discharge are enhanced and vegetation cover has improved. These impacts are evidenced and quantified by a comprehensive comparison of the current landscape with a coverage of 30-year old photographs and substantiated by field investigations. The positive changes in ecosystem service supply that result from these conservation activities in the Tigray highlands are an issue of global concern.
7 Descheemaeker, Katrien; Poesen, J.; Borselli, L.; Nyssen, J.; Raes, D.; Haile, M.; Muys, B.; Deckers, J. 2008. Runoff curve numbers for steep hillslopes with natural vegetation in semi-arid tropical highlands, northern Ethiopia. Hydrological Processes, 22:4097-4105.
Hydrology ; Soil conservation ; Water conservation ; Rangelands ; Highlands ; Vegetation ; Eucalyptus ; Rainfall-runoff relationships / Ethiopia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H041539)
(0.30 MB)
Daily runoff from 27 plots (5 m ð 2 m) recorded during two rainy seasons in the Tigray highlands (Ethiopia) were analysed together with daily rainfall to calculate runoff curve numbers for hillslopes covered by semi-natural vegetation in varying stages of vegetation restoration. Curve number model parameters were derived using a least squares fitting procedure on the collected rainfall–runoff datasets. Curve numbers varied from 29 to 97. Land use type was an important explanatory factor for the variation in curve numbers, whereas hydrologic soil group was not. Curve numbers were negatively correlated with vegetation cover. Taking into account antecedent soil moisture conditions did not improve runoff prediction using the curve number method. As runoff prediction was less accurate in areas with low curve numbers, two separate regression functions relating curve numbers with vegetation cover were proposed for different land use types.
8 Descheemaeker, Katrien; Raes, D.; Nyssen, J.; Poesen, J.; Haile, M.; Deckers, J. 2009. Changes in water flows and water productivity upon vegetation regeneration on degraded hillslopes in northern Ethiopia: a water balance modelling exercise. Rangeland Journal, 31(2):237-249. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ09010]
Water balance ; Simulation models ; Soil water ; Measurement ; Experiments ; Highlands ; Sloping land ; Grazing lands ; Pastures ; Vegetation ; Regeneration ; Water productivity ; Percolation ; Evapotranspiration ; Runoff / Ethiopia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 636 100 AME Record No: H042211)
(0.61 MB)
The establishment of exclosures (i.e. areas closed for grazing and agriculture) is a common practice to reverse land degradation through vegetation regeneration in the semiarid highland areas of northern Ethiopia. In order to assess the effect of exclosures on water flows, the water balance components for different vegetation regeneration stages were assessed through field measurements and modelling. Successful model calibration and validation was done based on soil water content measurements conducted during 2 years in 22 experimental plots. In the protected areas, vegetation regeneration leads to an increase in infiltration and transpiration and a more productive use of water for biomass production. In areas where additional lateral water (runon) infiltrates, source–sink systems are created. Here, up to 30% of the annual rainfall percolates through the root-zone towards the groundwater table. Increased biomass production in exclosures leads to possibilities for wood harvesting and cut and carry of grasses for livestock feeding. Together with water conservation and more productive use of water, the latter contributes to increased livestock water productivity. At the landscape scale, the creation of vegetation filters, capturing resources like water and nutrients, reinforces the rehabilitation process and healthy landscape functioning.
9 George, A.; Pierret, Alain; Boonsaner, A.; Valentin, Christian; Orange, Didier; Planchon, O. 2009. Potential and limitations of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) as a means to manage watershed services in mainland Southeast Asia. International Journal of the Commons, 3(1):16-40.
Watershed management ; Reservoirs ; Water quality ; Erosion ; Environmental management ; User charges ; Farmers ; Poverty ; Social aspects ; Economic aspects ; Highlands ; Water users ; Surveys ; Case studies ; Institutions / South East Asia / Laos / Thailand / Mae Thang Watershed / Houay Xon Watershed / Luang Prabang
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H042327)
http://www.thecommonsjournal.org/index.php/ijc/article/viewPDFInterstitial/131/84
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H042327.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H042327.pdf
(0.38 MB)
Based on two case studies conducted at local sites in Northern Thailand and Lao PDR, the objectives of this paper are (i) to assess whether conditions for the establishment of PES at the watershed level exist in the uplands of mainland SE Asia and (ii) to examine and discuss limitations that are likely to impinge on direct transfer of the PES concept as well as the institutional adaptations and support that are required for the successful implementation of PES markets in this regional context. The study’s main findings are that: (i) acceptance of PES principles and constraints are directly related to stakeholders’ perception of their land rights irrespective of their actual rights; (ii) willingness to pay (WTP) is very low among local stakeholders, making any PES market unlikely to emerge without external support; (iii) the classical scheme for watershed services hardly applies in its original form because environmental service (ES) providers and buyers are generally the same people; (iv) where potential ES buyers feel that ES providers are better-off or wealthier than them, they do not have any WTP for ES; (v) good governance, including a strong liaising at various levels between people and the authorities is a strong prerequisite for the successful establishment of PES markets, even without direct government funding.
10 Chaponniere, Anne; Boulet, G.; Chehbouni, A.; Aresmouk, A. 2008. Understanding hydrological processes with scarce data in a mountain environment. Hydrological Processes, 22(12):1908-1921. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6775]
Hydrology ; Simulation models ; Calibration ; Stream flow ; Measurement ; Time series analysis ; Remote sensing ; Precipitation ; Water balance ; Highlands ; Mountains ; Watersheds ; Reservoirs ; Snow cover ; Geology ; Topography ; Land use ; Soil types ; Groundwater ; Evapotranspiration ; Runoff ; Infiltration ; Percolation / Morocco / Rheraya Watershed / Atlas Mountains
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H042330)
(2.48 MB)
Performance of process-based hydrological models is usually assessed through comparison between simulated and measured streamflow. Although necessary, this analysis is not sufficient to estimate the quality and realism of the modelling since streamflow integrates all processes of the water cycle, including intermediate production or redistribution processes such as snowmelt or groundwater flow. Assessing the performance of hydrological models in simulating accurately intermediate processes is often difficult and requires heavy experimental investments. In this study, conceptual hydrological modelling (using SWAT) of a semi-arid mountainous watershed in the High Atlas in Morocco is attempted. Our objective is to analyse whether good intermediate processes simulation is reached when global-satisfying streamflow simulation is possible. First, parameters presenting intercorrelation issues are identified: from the soil, the groundwater and, to a lesser extent, from the snow. Second, methodologies are developed to retrieve information from accessible intermediate hydrological processes. A geochemical method is used to quantify the contribution of a superficial and a deep reservoir to streamflow. It is shown that, for this specific process, the model formalism is not adapted to our study area and thus leads to poor simulation results. A remote-sensing methodology is proposed to retrieve the snow surfaces. Comparison with the simulation shows that this process can be satisfyingly simulated by the model. The multidisciplinary approach adopted in this study, although supported by the hydrological community, is still uncommon.
11 Bruggeman, A.; Ouessar, M.; Mohtar, R. H. (Eds.) 2008. Watershed management in dry areas, challenges and opportunities: proceedings of a workshop held in Jerba, Tunisia, 4-7 January 2005. Aleppo, Syria: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). 173p.
Watershed management ; Water resource management ; Soil conservation ; Soil types ; Water conservation ; Soil management ; Arid lands ; Mountains ; Highlands ; Reservoirs ; Assessment ; GIS ; Water harvesting ; Runoff ; Sedimentation ; Infiltration ; Hydrology ; Analysis ; Rain ; Flooding ; Drought ; Models ; Calibration ; Rural areas ; Water table ; Groundwater recharge ; Wells ; Supplemental irrigation ; Cost benefit analysis ; Case studies / North Africa / Middle East / Morocco / Tunisia / Yemen / Algeria / USA / Oum Zessar Watershed / Red Sea / Walnut Gulch Watershed / Kamech Watershed / Zaghouan / Oued Zioud Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G229 BRU Record No: H034797)
(0.60 MB)
12 World Bank. 2009. Convenient solutions to an inconvenient truth: ecosystem based approaches to climate change. Washington, DC, USA: World Bank, Environment Department. 91p.
Ecosystems ; Climate change ; Biodiversity ; Habitats ; Afforestation ; Forest management ; Watershed Management ; Wetlands ; Grasslands ; Energy resources ; Water power ; Biofuels ; Renewable energy ; Coastal area ; Mangroves ; Coral reefs ; Fisheries ; Food Security ; Tanks ; Highlands ; Land Management ; Water Supply / Africa / South Africa / Namibia / Madagascar / Asia / Mongolia / China / Latin America / Caribbean / Colombia / Mexico / Kenya / Mali / Trinidad / Tobago / Yemen / India / Indonesia / Philippines / Laos / Sumatra / Middle East / Costa Rica / Peru / Andes / Pearl River / Bokkeveld Plateau / Danube Wetlands / Yangtze River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H034804)
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2009/07/08/000333037_20090708013334/Rendered/PDF/493130ESW0whit10Box338946B01PUBLIC1.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H034804.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H034804.pdf
(2.34 MB)
13 Betrie, G. D.; Mohamed, Yasir Abbas; van Griensven, A.; Popescu, I.; Mynett, A. 2009. Modeling of soil erosion and sediment transport in the Blue Nile Basin using the Open Model Interface approach. In Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Erkossa, Teklu; Smakhtin, Vladimir; Fernando, Ashra (Comps.). Improved water and land management in the Ethiopian highlands: its impact on downstream stakeholders dependent on the Blue Nile. Intermediate Results Dissemination Workshop held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-6 February 2009. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.132-140.
Erosion ; Highlands ; Sedimentary materials ; Simulation models ; River basin management ; Reservoirs / Ethiopia / Blue Nile River Basin / Roseires Reservoir / Sennar Reservoir
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 333.9162 G100 AWU Record No: H042513)
(0.41 MB)
Rapid land use change due to intensive agricultural practices in the Ethiopian Highlands, results in increasing rates of soil erosion. This manifested in significant impacts downstream by reducing the storage capacity of reservoirs (e.g., Roseires, Sennar), and high desilting costs of irrigation canals. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a better understanding of the process at basin scale. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to model soil erosion in the upper catchments of the Blue Nile over the Ethiopian Plateau. The SWAT output forms the input sediment load for SOBEK, a river morphology model. The two models integrated using the principles of the Open Model Interface (OpenMI) at the Ethiopia-Sudan border. The Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient was found to be 0.72 and 0.66 for results of SWAT daily sediment calibration and validation, respectively. The SOBEK results also show a good fit of the simulated river flows at Roseires and Sennar reservoirs, both for calibration and validation. The results of the integrated modeling system showed 86 million tonnes/year of sediment load from the Upper Blue Nile, while SOBEK computes on average 19 Mm3/year of sediment deposition in the Roseires Reservoir. The spatial variability of soil erosion computed with SWAT showed more erosion over the northeastern part of the Upper Blue Nile, followed by the northern part. The overall exercise indicates that the integrated modeling is a promising approach to understand soil erosion, sediment transport, and sediment deposition in the Blue Nile Basin. This will improve the understanding of the upstream-downstream interdependencies, for better land and water management at basin scale.
14 White, E. D.; Easton, Z. M.; Fuka, D. R.; Collick, A. S.; McCartney, Matthew; Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Steenhuis, T. S. 2009. A water balance-based Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for improved performance in the Ethiopian highlands. In Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Erkossa, Teklu; Smakhtin, Vladimir; Fernando, Ashra (Comps.). Improved water and land management in the Ethiopian highlands: its impact on downstream stakeholders dependent on the Blue Nile. Intermediate Results Dissemination Workshop held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-6 February 2009. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.152-158.
Hydrology ; Simulation models ; Water balance ; Soil water ; Infiltration ; Runoff ; Highlands / Africa / Ethiopia / Blue Nile River Basin / Abay Blue Nile / Gumera Basin / Laka Tana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 333.9162 G100 AWU Record No: H042515)
(0.62 MB)
The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a watershed model widely used to predict water quantity and quality under varying land use and water use regimes. To determine the respective amounts of infiltration and surface runoff, SWAT uses the popular Curve Number (CN). While being appropriate for engineering design in temperate climates, the CN is less than ideal when used in monsoonal regions where rainfall is concentrated into distinct time periods. The CN methodology is based on the assumption that Hortonian flow is the driving force behind surface runoff production, a questionable assumption in many regions. In monsoonal climates water balance models generally capture the runoff generation processes and thus the flux water or transport of chemicals and sediments better than CN-based models. In order to use SWAT in monsoonal climates, the CN routine to predict runoff was replaced with a simple water balance routine in the code base. To compare this new water balance-based SWAT (SWAT-WB) to the original CN-based SWAT (SWAT-CN), several watersheds in the headwaters of the Abay Blue Nile in Ethiopia were modeled at a daily time step. While long term, daily data is largely nonexistent for portions of the Abay Blue Nile, data was available for one 1,270 km2 subbasin of the Lake Tana watershed, northeast of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, which was used to initialize both versions of SWAT. Prior to any calibration of the model, daily Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiencies improved from -0.05 to 0.39 for SWAT-CN and SWAT-WB, respectively. Following calibration of SWAT-WB, daily model efficiency improved to 0.73, indicating that SWAT can accurately model saturation-excess processes without using the Curve Number technique.
15 Zegeye, A. D.; Tebebu, T. Y.; Abiy, A. Z.; Dahlke, H. E.; White, E. D.; Collick, A. S.; Kidnau, S.; Dadgari, F.; McCartney, Matthew; Steenhuis, T. S. 2009. Assessment of hydrological and landscape controls on gully formation and upland erosion near Lake Tana. In Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Erkossa, Teklu; Smakhtin, Vladimir; Fernando, Ashra (Comps.). Improved water and land management in the Ethiopian highlands: its impact on downstream stakeholders dependent on the Blue Nile. Intermediate Results Dissemination Workshop held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-6 February 2009. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.162-169.
Hydrology ; Water erosion ; Highlands ; Watersheds ; Simulation models / Africa / Ethiopia / Gilgil Abay Basin / Debre-Mewi Watershed / Lake Tana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 333.9162 G100 AWU Record No: H042516)
(0.62 MB)
Gully formation and upland erosion were studied in the Debre-Mewi Watershed in the Gilgil Abay Basin south of Lake Tana. Gully erosion rates were found to be equivalent to over 500 tonnes/ha/year for the 2008 rainy season when averaged over the contributing watershed. Upland erosion rates were twentyfold less. Gully formation is accelerated when the soils are saturated with water as indicated by water table readings above bottom of the gully. Similarly, upland erosion was accelerated when the fields were close to saturation during the occurrence of a rainfall event. Height of the water table is an important parameter determining the amount of erosion and should, therefore, be included in simulation models.
16 Nyssen, J.; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Zenebe, A.; Poesen, J.; Deckers, J.; Haile, M. 2009. Transhumance in the Tigray Highlands (Ethiopia) Mountain Research and Development, 29(3):255-264. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd.00033]
Highlands ; Grazing lands ; Pastures ; Livestock ; Rangelands ; Transhumance / Ethiopia / Tigray Highlands
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H042534)
(0.80 MB)
Transhumance, the seasonal movement of herds occurring between two points and following precise routes repeated each year, is practiced on a broad scale in the open field areas of Tigray (North Ethiopia). This article presents a characterization of the practice, factors that explain its magnitude, and recent changes. Eleven villages were selected randomly, semistructured interviews were conducted, and data on the sites were collected both in the field and from secondary sources. The transhumance destination zones are characterized as better endowed with water and fodder resources, essentially due to their great extent. The sample villages can be classified into three groups: annual transhumance (average one-way traveling distance 8.1 km), home range herding (average traveling distance 2.2 km), and keeping livestock near homesteads. Movements are basically induced by the fact that there is little to no space for livestock near the villages during the crop-growing period—not by the significantly different temperature or rainfall conditions in the grazing lands. Adults will only herd the flocks when the distance for transhumance is great or considered unsafe; otherwise, young boys tend the livestock for the entire summer rainy season. Faced with social (schooling) and technological (reservoir construction and establishment of exclosures) changes, transhumance in Tigray has adjusted in a highly adaptive way, with new routes being developed and others abandoned. Transhumance does not lead to major conflicts in the study area even when livestock are brought to areas that belong to other ethnic groups (Afar, Amhara).
17 International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2010. Land and water resources management for upland farms in Southeast Asia: some lessons learned. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 4p. (IWMI Water Policy Brief 033) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3910/2010.200]
Watersheds ; Highlands ; Sloping land ; Farming systems ; Cropping systems ; Shifting cultivation ; Soil degradation / South East Asia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 630 G800 INT Record No: H042788)
(1.07 MB)
18 Orange, Didier; Nguyen Duy, P.; Loiseau, J. B.; Bui Tan, Y.; Henry des Tureaux, Thierry; Bardouin, L.; Rodriguez, C.; Bertrand, J.; Grandidier, E.; Jouquet, Pascal; Toan, T. D. 2008. Exploring the relevance and feasibility of PES approaches for producing environmental services through changes in agricultural practices: a case study in the Mekong Region: Vietnam case. Intermediate report of the Challenge Program for Water and Food, CPWF theme 2, Contract C-056-07. 68p.
Erosion ; Runoff ; Models ; Highlands ; Watersheds ; Catchment areas ; Environmental protection ; User charges ; Farming systems ; Composts ; Biofuels ; Biogas ; Water balance ; Irrigation operation ; Case studies / Vietnam / Tien Xuan Commune / Dong Cao Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H043014)
(5.38 MB)
19 Kloos, H.; Legesse, W. (Eds.) 2010. Water resources management in Ethiopia: implications for the Nile Basin. Amherst, NY, USA: Cambria Press. 415p.
Water resources development ; Water resource management ; Irrigation systems ; Dams ; Water harvesting ; Water supply ; Sanitation ; Deforestation ; Land degradation ; Highlands ; River basin development ; Pastoral society ; Flooding ; Water pollution ; Waterborne diseases / Africa / Ethiopia / Africa South of Sahara / Nile Basin / Awash Valley / Omo Valley / Dire Dawa Town
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G136 KLO Record No: H043016)
20 Endagama, P.; Dayananda, K. A.S. (Comps.) 1998. Traditional agriculture of Sri Lanka: a collection of articles. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI). 105p.
Rice ; Cultivation ; Paddy fields ; Traditional farming ; Irrigated farming ; Highlands / Sri Lanka / Ratnapura / Nawadun Korale / Kuruwita Korale / Batticaloa / Gampola
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 630.9 G744 END Record No: H043219)
(0.26 MB)
Powered by DB/Text WebPublisher, from
