Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia
In the northern highlands of Ethiopia, establishment of exclosures to restore degraded communal grazing lands has been practiced for the past three decades. However, empirical data on the effectiveness of exclosures in restoring degraded soils are lacking. We investigated the influence of exclosure age on degree of restoration of degraded soil and identified easily measurable biophysical and management-related factors that can be used to predict soil nutrient restoration. We selected replicated (n = 3) 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year-old exclosures and paired each exclosure with samples from adjacent communal grazing lands. All exclosures showed higher total soil nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and cation exchange capacity than the communal grazing lands. The differences varied between 24 (061) and 69 (185) Mgha1 for the total N stock and from 17 (3) to 39 (7) kg ha1 for the available P stock. The differences in N and P increased with exclosure age. In exclosures, much of the variability in soil N (R2=064) and P (R2=071) stocks were explained by a combination of annual average precipitation, woody biomass, and exclosure age. Precipitation and vegetation canopy cover also explained much of the variability in soil N (R2=074) and P (R2=052) stocks in communal grazing lands. Converting degraded communal grazing lands into exclosures is a viable option to restore degraded soils. Our results also confirm that the possibility to predict the changes in soil nutrient content after exclosure establishment using regression models is based on field measurements.
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2013-11
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| Subjects: | land management, land degradation, soil properties, soil fertility, grazing lands, vegetation, statistical methods, |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40447 https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.1146 |
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dig-cgspace-10568-404472023-09-12T10:54:27Z Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia Mekuria, Wolde M. Aynekulu, Ermias land management land degradation soil properties soil fertility grazing lands vegetation statistical methods In the northern highlands of Ethiopia, establishment of exclosures to restore degraded communal grazing lands has been practiced for the past three decades. However, empirical data on the effectiveness of exclosures in restoring degraded soils are lacking. We investigated the influence of exclosure age on degree of restoration of degraded soil and identified easily measurable biophysical and management-related factors that can be used to predict soil nutrient restoration. We selected replicated (n = 3) 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year-old exclosures and paired each exclosure with samples from adjacent communal grazing lands. All exclosures showed higher total soil nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and cation exchange capacity than the communal grazing lands. The differences varied between 24 (061) and 69 (185) Mgha1 for the total N stock and from 17 (3) to 39 (7) kg ha1 for the available P stock. The differences in N and P increased with exclosure age. In exclosures, much of the variability in soil N (R2=064) and P (R2=071) stocks were explained by a combination of annual average precipitation, woody biomass, and exclosure age. Precipitation and vegetation canopy cover also explained much of the variability in soil N (R2=074) and P (R2=052) stocks in communal grazing lands. Converting degraded communal grazing lands into exclosures is a viable option to restore degraded soils. Our results also confirm that the possibility to predict the changes in soil nutrient content after exclosure establishment using regression models is based on field measurements. 2013-11 2014-06-13T14:47:41Z 2014-06-13T14:47:41Z Journal Article Mekuria, Wolde; Aynekulu, E. 2011. Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia. Land Degradation and Development, 11p. (Online first). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ldr.1146 1085-3278 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40447 https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.1146 en Copyrighted; all rights reserved Limited Access Wiley |
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land management land degradation soil properties soil fertility grazing lands vegetation statistical methods land management land degradation soil properties soil fertility grazing lands vegetation statistical methods |
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land management land degradation soil properties soil fertility grazing lands vegetation statistical methods land management land degradation soil properties soil fertility grazing lands vegetation statistical methods Mekuria, Wolde M. Aynekulu, Ermias Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia |
| description |
In the northern highlands of Ethiopia, establishment of exclosures to restore degraded communal grazing lands has been practiced for the past three decades. However, empirical data on the effectiveness of exclosures in restoring degraded soils are lacking. We investigated the influence of exclosure age on degree of restoration of degraded soil and identified easily measurable biophysical and management-related factors that can be used to predict soil nutrient restoration. We selected replicated (n = 3) 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year-old exclosures and paired each exclosure with samples from adjacent communal grazing lands. All exclosures showed higher total soil nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and cation exchange capacity than the communal grazing lands. The differences varied between 24 (061) and 69 (185) Mgha1 for the total N stock and from 17 (3) to 39 (7) kg ha1 for the available P stock. The differences in N and P increased with exclosure age. In exclosures, much of the variability in soil N (R2=064) and P (R2=071) stocks were explained by a combination of annual average precipitation, woody biomass, and exclosure age. Precipitation and vegetation canopy cover also explained much of the variability in soil N (R2=074) and P (R2=052) stocks in communal grazing lands. Converting degraded communal grazing lands into exclosures is a viable option to restore degraded soils. Our results also confirm that the possibility to predict the changes in soil nutrient content after exclosure establishment using regression models is based on field measurements. |
| format |
Journal Article |
| topic_facet |
land management land degradation soil properties soil fertility grazing lands vegetation statistical methods |
| author |
Mekuria, Wolde M. Aynekulu, Ermias |
| author_facet |
Mekuria, Wolde M. Aynekulu, Ermias |
| author_sort |
Mekuria, Wolde M. |
| title |
Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia |
| title_short |
Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia |
| title_full |
Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr |
Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern Ethiopia |
| title_sort |
exclosure land management for restoration of the soils in degraded communal grazing lands in northern ethiopia |
| publisher |
Wiley |
| publishDate |
2013-11 |
| url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40447 https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.1146 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT mekuriawoldem exclosurelandmanagementforrestorationofthesoilsindegradedcommunalgrazinglandsinnorthernethiopia AT aynekuluermias exclosurelandmanagementforrestorationofthesoilsindegradedcommunalgrazinglandsinnorthernethiopia |
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