Non-native tree devastates Ethiopia’s ecosystems and threatens livelihoods

Once lauded arsenic a remedy for Ethiopia’s advancing desertification, a non-native histrion has transformed into an uncontrolled menace crossed the East African country, endangering delicate ecosystems and threatening the beingness of section communities.

The prosopis, a shrubby histrion indigenous to Latin America, was initially introduced to Ethiopia’s northeastern Afar portion during the 1970s.

For livestock husbandman Khadija Humed, it has go a root of misery.

“Because of this plant, we person go poor,” she told the AFP quality agency.

Initially, prosopis seemed promising. Resistant to vigor and quick-growing, it was intended to forestall ungraded erosion and supply cooling shadiness successful Afar’s adust lowlands.

Today, however, it dominates the region’s expansive plains with thorny branches that scope heights of up to 10 metres (33ft).

Each histrion extracts up to 7 litres (nearly 2 gallons) of h2o regular done its extended basal system, depleting ungraded moisture and devastating agriculture.

Local pastoralists besides reported that prosopis harms their livestock.

“The works has turned against us,” Hailu Shiferaw, a researcher astatine the Ethiopian Water and Land Resources Centre, told AFP.

“No 1 could person foreseen its harmful effects.”

In Humed’s village, astir 200km (124 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa, she explained that the tree’s pods sicken their cattle and obstruct their mouths and stomachs, sometimes fatally. These losses person plunged the assemblage into terrible poverty, she said.

“I personally person 10 cows and much than 20 goats and sheep. But earlier prosopis, radical present utilized to person 50 to 100 cattle,” she said.

“Everything has changed,” 76-year-old Yusuf Mohammed remarked, noting that the tree’s heavy foliage attracts predators that prey connected their livestock.

“We ne'er had chaotic carnal attacks before. … After prosopis spread, lions, hyenas, chaotic cats and foxes invaded our villages,” Mohammed said.

He added that its toxic thorns injure livestock, leaving them weakened and incapable to forage effectively.

Globally, humans person introduced astir 3,500 invasive species, galore causing ecological damage.

These taxon outgo economies astir the satellite astatine slightest $423bn each year, according to a 2023 study by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform connected Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. That magnitude is equivalent to Denmark’s gross home product.

Ketema Bekele, subordinate prof of biology economics astatine Ethiopia’s Haramaya University, calculated that prosopis has outgo Afar $602m implicit 3 decades – astir quadruple its yearly budget.

The works present infests astir 20,000sq km (7,720sq miles) of Afar and is “out of control”, spreading into the Amhara and Oromia regions, helium noted.

By 2023, it covered 8.61 percent of Ethiopia, according to the Journal of Environmental Management, up from 2.16 percent successful 2003, portion pastureland diminished by much than a 4th during the aforesaid period.

The diary projected that prosopis could inhabit 22 percent of Ethiopia’s 1.1 cardinal quadrate kilometres (425,000sq miles) by 2060.

Camels lend to its dispersed by consuming the pods and dispersing the seeds done excretion.

Since 2022, CARE International has tried to halt the dispersed by encouraging locals to harvest the plant.

With enactment from the Danish money Danida, the nongovernmental organisation besides removes trees to found effect orchards.

Mohammed believes the penetration tin beryllium controlled but emphasises the request for further assistance.

“We can’t tackle it alone,” helium said.