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Socio-economic importance of the bamboo resources in the Lower Beles River Basin, north-western Ethiopia

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Abstract

Ethiopia is one of the largest bamboo resource bases in Africa. However, a dearth of reliable data on bamboo resources has impeded the proper management of bamboo forests and limited their potential in providing more socio-economic and environmental benefits. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the socio-economic importance of O. abyssinica in the Lower Beles River Basin, north-western Ethiopia. Datasets were collected from both primary and secondary sources. A combination of techniques: descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis, was employed for data analysis. The results showed that a total of 10 services were identified as important socio-economic uses of bamboo. Bamboo as construction material, traditional furniture, income, food, and medicine were the top five uses of bamboo as perceived by respondents and confirmed through quantitative analysis. Differences in views among respondents of different ethnic backgrounds concerning some socio-economic uses of bamboo, namely food, medicine, and musical instruments, were statistically significant. Despite the wide range of services bamboo provides, the management practice is so unsustainable and rudimentary, which impedes the sustainability of the resource and livelihood of people relying on it. Therefore, concerned bodies should provide the priority attention that the resource deserves to curve the unsustainability spiral as well as properly utilize and conserve the bamboo resource.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are delighted to express their gratitude to the farmers, experts, and local administrators of Mandura District for their support throughout the field work. We are very grateful to thank Tesfahun Ayalew for his support and guidance and Abniezer Mekibib for his companionship during the field work. The manuscript has considerably benefited from the comments of the anonymous reviewers.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Bahir Dar University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Shiferaw Abebe & Amare Sewnet Minale

  2. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Assosa University, P.O. Box 18, Assosa, Ethiopia

    Shiferaw Abebe

  3. Department of Range and Forest Resources, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), Gaborone, Botswana

    Demel Teketay

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  1. Shiferaw Abebe
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by SA, ASM, and DT. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SA, and all authors commented on the previous version of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shiferaw Abebe.

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Abebe, S., Minale, A.S. & Teketay, D. Socio-economic importance of the bamboo resources in the Lower Beles River Basin, north-western Ethiopia. Environ Dev Sustain 24, 12162–12181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01938-4

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