Publications
Assessing smallholders livelihood vulnerability to climate change in the Konso cultural landscape world heritage site
Climate change is significantly increasing vulnerability among smallholders in the Konso Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ethiopia. The study reveals that prolonged drought and erratic rainfall are severely impacting livelihoods and cultural heritage, with ecosystems showing high sensitivity to climate change. Smallholders' adaptive capacities are weakening, shifting focus from collective heritage management to short-term survival needs. This highlights critical implications for the sustainable management of the site, emphasizing the need for tailored adaptation strategies to improve livelihoods and conserve the unique cultural landscape. The research used a cross-sectional survey design with 371 smallholders across three districts, employing the Livelihood Vulnerability Index approach and principal component analysis to assess vulnerability factors.
Sacred nature in a changing world: How sacred forests in the Konso Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site, Ethiopia, persisted amidst historical and contemporary challenges
Despite rapid economic and cultural transformations, sacred forests within the Konso Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site in southern Ethiopia have shown remarkable resilience from 2004 to 2023. This persistence highlights how indigenous beliefs in reciprocity with nature can contribute significantly to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. The study mapped 66 sacred forests using GPS field inventory and satellite imagery, combined with qualitative research involving focus group discussions and key informant interviews with chiefs, elders, religious leaders, and management committee members. These findings underscore the importance of integrating sacred forests into national biodiversity strategies and climate action plans to protect this unique biocultural heritage.
Social-Ecological Systems in Transition: Understanding the Dynamics of the Konso Cultural Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ethiopia
A rapid and profound transformation of the Konso Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ethiopia, has been observed over the past five decades (1976–2023). This shift, driven by factors such as population growth, state ideology, governance challenges, and evolving community aspirations, has led to significant declines in forest and bush/shrub land, alongside substantial increases in settlement and agricultural areas. Additionally, traditional compact and defensively oriented settlements have transitioned to more dispersed, linear structures. The study, employing an integrated framework combining human geography, remote sensing, GIS, and landscape ecology, highlights existential challenges for the Konso community, emphasizing the need for a balanced pathway that preserves cultural identity while accommodating development.
Detection and characterization of meteorological drought and its impacts in the UNESCO designated world heritage site of Konso Cultural Landscape, southern Ethiopia
Recent droughts, particularly severe in 1999, 2000, 2009, 2011, and 2022, are threatening the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Konso Cultural Landscape in southern Ethiopia. These droughts have significantly reduced agricultural productivity, disrupting traditional harvest rituals critical for intergenerational knowledge transfer. Additionally, they have altered architectural designs and pushed communities toward nonfarm livelihoods due to worsening conditions. The study used Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation Stations data (1981–2022) alongside qualitative methods to analyze drought patterns via the Standard Precipitation Index across wet seasons and annual scales, revealing higher frequency and severity in seasonal timescales. These findings underscore urgent policy needs for adaptation strategies to sustain the landscape's cultural integrity.
Climate Change Threats to UNESCO-Designated World Heritage Sites: Empirical Evidence from Konso Cultural Landscape, Ethiopia
Climate change is significantly threatening the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Konso Cultural Landscape, Ethiopia, with rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns leading to severe environmental and societal impacts. Research using satellite-gauge-station data (1981–2020) and temperature records (1987–2020) revealed significant increases in heavy rainfall days, wet-day precipitation, and extreme heat events, exacerbating flooding, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss. These changes are disrupting traditional livelihoods, agricultural productivity, and cultural practices, posing risks to the site's integrity and the resilience of smallholder farmers. The study underscores the urgent need for localized climate adaptation strategies to protect this global cultural asset.
Smallholder farmers’ perceptions, coping and adaptation strategies to climate variability in the UNESCO designated cultural landscapes of Konso, Ethiopia
Smallholder farmers in the UNESCO-listed Konso Cultural Landscape of Ethiopia perceive climate variability as a significant threat, with late-onset rains, shortened rainy seasons, and recurring droughts being the most pronounced manifestations. These changes are linked to increased weed and pest infestations, as well as heat-induced diseases. The study found that education, access to credit, extension services, and climate information positively influence farmers' perceptions and adaptation strategies, such as terracing, agroforestry, and irrigation. Policy interventions focusing on diversifying livelihoods and improving access to reliable climate data are recommended to enhance adaptive capacity and reduce vulnerability.
Sustainability of the long-term indigenous soil and water conservation practices in the UNESCO designated cultural landscapes of Konso, Ethiopia
Recent urbanization and modern administration have significantly weakened the role of indigenous sociocultural and political institutions, threatening the long-term sustainability of soil and water conservation (SWC) practices in Konso, Ethiopia. This study highlights that while traditional cooperative labor groups and cultural values once sustained SWC structures, their decline—coupled with erratic rainfall and youth migration due to crop failures—has led to deteriorating conservation efforts. To preserve these indigenous practices, the research recommends government and NGO support for socio-cultural institutions to restore social norms and conservation measures. The findings underscore the critical need to integrate traditional knowledge with modern interventions to safeguard UNESCO-designated cultural landscapes.
Tourism and Its Contribution to Households’ Income in Konso Zone, SNNP Region, Ethiopia
A study on the Konso Cultural Landscape in Ethiopia reveals that tourism contributes only 3.87% to household income, despite being a key economic development strategy. The research identifies cultural landscapes, arts, and music as primary tourist attractions while highlighting significant challenges such as limited access to financing, inadequate heritage preservation, and poor marketing. Using descriptive analysis and Tobit regression models, the study finds that household tourism income is positively influenced by the age of the household head, family size, and credit access, but negatively correlated with land size. Recommendations include promoting tourism, expanding employment opportunities, improving heritage protection, and enhancing strategic development to address these barriers.
Smallholders’ adoption of climate-smart practices in Konso, Ethiopia
In the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Konso, Ethiopia, smallholder farmers' adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices is significantly influenced by education, landholding size, income, access to climate information, credit, and extension services. A multinomial logit model analysis revealed these factors as key determinants for the uptake of terracing, agroforestry, and intercropping. Despite these efforts, food security remains under threat due to unreliable rainfall patterns. The study highlights the potential for external support, such as regular weather forecasts, affordable credit, and crop insurance, to bolster local livelihoods and sustain the indigenous farming system in this culturally significant landscape.
Spatiotemporal climate variability and trends in UNESCO designated Cultural Landscapes of Konso, Ethiopia
Rainfall in the UNESCO-listed Konso Cultural Landscape, Ethiopia, shows contrasting trends between seasons: annual and summer (Kiremt) rainfall increased by 3.16 mm/year and 0.42 mm/year respectively, while spring (Belg) rainfall declined by 1.12 mm/year from 1983 to 2016. This spatiotemporal variability, analyzed using satellite-gauge data, the Mann-Kendall test, and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), reveals a growing frequency and severity of droughts—particularly in rainfed farming areas—threatening food security for smallholder farmers. The findings underscore the need for agroecological adaptation strategies to safeguard both socioeconomic resilience and the integrity of this unique cultural landscape.
Traditional knowledge and institutions for sustainable climate change adaptation in Ethiopia
Ethiopia's traditional knowledge and institutions serve as vital foundations for climate change adaptation, sustaining livelihoods and landscape resilience despite global challenges. These systems, preserved over millennia, underpin weather forecasting, agriculture, and natural resource management, contributing to biodiversity and crop diversity. A study assessing their potential through literature reviews and case studies involving 251 households in central and eastern Ethiopia found that integrating traditional and scientific knowledge could enhance sustainable development and resilience against climate variability.
The Continuing Significance of Rural Landscapes in the Urban Century
Rural landscapes, particularly those shaped by historical agricultural practices, remain crucial to food security and sustainable development despite rapid urbanization. A study highlights the enduring significance of such landscapes, exemplified by Konso terraces in Ethiopia, Marakwet irrigation in Kenya, and Engaruka terraces in Tanzania. These landscapes, formed through intensive agriculture, reflect complex interactions between environmental factors, social structures, and political dynamics over centuries. The research emphasizes the importance of understanding historical context—such as wars, epidemics, and migrations—to grasp contemporary landscape transformations. It also underscores the role of interregional connections and landesque capital (long-term investments in land) in maintaining agricultural productivity. While the study builds on earlier work from 2004, it notes that rural landscapes are undergoing profound changes due to infrastructure development like new tarmac roads, posing both challenges and opportunities for sustainable development.
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