Indigenous people’s perception of the existing ecosystem services and pervasive drivers for the degradation of Boyo wetland, southern Ethiopia

Hussen Yasin (), Wondimagegnehu Tekalign, Serekebirhan Takele, Barry John McMahon and Abebayehu Desalegn
Additional contact information
Hussen Yasin: Wolaita Sodo University
Wondimagegnehu Tekalign: Wolaita Sodo University
Serekebirhan Takele: Arba Minch University
Barry John McMahon: UCD, University College Dublin
Abebayehu Desalegn: Wolaita Sodo University

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2025, vol. 15, issue 1, No 10, 143-155

Abstract: Abstract Wetland ecosystems provide services to numerous communities worldwide. However, anthropogenic pressure continues to escalate in many wetlands, resulting in the degradation of the ecosystem. The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the perceptions of local and indigenous people regarding ecosystem services provided and examine the drivers that are causing the Boyo wetland to change. The study employs a mixed research design that integrates both quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques, such as household questionnaire surveys (n = 178), focus group discussions (n = 5), key informant interviews (n = 20), and field observations. Participants have been selected through purposive and simple random sampling methods. In this study, the existing wetland ecosystem services are identified based on their observed importance at the local level, with provisioning services considered the most beneficial ecosystem services. We use the chi-square test to determine if differences exist among perceptions of the value of existing ecosystem services in the wetland depending on variables including gender and education level. While no significant differences exist for gender, we do find a statistically significant result for regulating and cultural services regarding respondent educational attainment. Higher-educated local people were more likely to have a good idea about these services. According to the respondents, the main drivers causing change that harms the services provided by the study wetland are siltation and population pressure. Based on this analysis, we recommend soil conservation measures and afforestation in the watershed area to prevent siltation, as well as education and outreach to help local communities better understand the challenges and benefits of local wetlands. In addition, an alternative livelihood option is necessary to reduce the growing population pressure.

Keywords: Boyo wetland; Ecosystem services; Population pressure; Provisioning services; Siltation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13412-024-00904-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:15:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s13412-024-00904-6

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/13412

DOI: 10.1007/s13412-024-00904-6

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences is currently edited by Walter A. Rosenbaum

More articles in Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences from Springer, Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().