Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

ecosystems were degraded through rebel force occupation and return of displaced communities into
neglected National Parks and sanctuaries. The end of political suppression initiated countrywide
economic reform focussed on poverty alleviation through improved agricultural productivity
(Abrar et al. 2004). Exacerbating the environmental impact of political instability, this agricultural
development-led industrialisation saw large-scale conversion of Ethiopia’s natural forests to
agricultural land for small productivity gains (Pender and Gebremedhin 2006). The government
ban on private ownership of land further compounded effects with uncertainty of land tenure
disincentivising a largely rural population to maintain ecosystem quality, and farmers to invest
in productivity improvements decreasing land requirements. The Bale Mountains Eco-region
exemplifies this history, providing a substantial array of ecosystem goods and services, the economic
values of which have either not been protected or not reflected in historical management decisions.
This misallocation of resources and a rising population has resulted in widespread exploitation,
with rural communities deforesting to procure land for crops and livestock grazing (BESMP 2006;
OARDB 2007).
Livelihoods
Primarily agro-pastoral, the Bale Mountains communities are dependent on the ecosystem for their
livelihoods. All household members are involved in crop cultivation through distinct land plots or
home gardens. Livestock rearing, the original subsistence system in Bale, serves a variety of purposes
including meat and milk products, manure, draught power, transport and skins. Livestock are also
important for social status, playing a role in marriage, dispute settlement and ritual performances
(BMDC 2003). Households also engage in the harvesting of forest products including firewood,
materials for construction, and where local conditions allow, forest honey and coffee. This study
defines forest products as the array of natural products that can be harvested from natural areas and
includes products that are not explicitly found in forested areas.
Economic value
This study takes a utilitarian definition of value where preferences are held for different market and
non-market goods, and trade-offs made between goods in the pursuit of maximum wellbeing reveal
the values held for each good (Freeman 2003). In a monetary metric, this translates to the consumer’s
willingness-to-pay for a particular benefit, or in some cases willingness-to-accept compensation
for a loss. Under this anthropocentric approach, environmental values can be classified within the
framework of total economic value (Pearce and Warford 1993) and within this framework the Bale
Mountains Eco-region provides many ecosystem goods and services (Table 1).
These values extend to many beneficiaries in multiple forms and there is no clear boundary
for economic valuation in the Bale Mountains Eco-region. This study concentrates on the annual
direct consumptive use value derived by the local communities, recognising that other sources
of value are likely to be considerable. Reliant on the ecosystem for their livelihoods, these local
communities will first experience the rising costs of ecosystem degradation and are also those most
heavily impacted by future policy change and management in the region.
<strong>Walia</strong>-<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Edition</strong> on the Bale Mountains 184