Ambo Deforestation Puts Mineral Water Factory at Risk

The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
NEWS
April 23, 2007
By Endale Assefa

The Ambo Mineral water factory which is entirely dependent on Ambo spring water resources for its production is at risk as a result of uncontrolled use of trees for fuel and overgrazing, a research by a senior academic has shown.

According to the research, Podocalpus falcatus (called in Amharic Zigba); an indigenous tree which used to cover the locality has now been destroyed.

The pictorial illustration of the researcher shows the locality was covered with the stated trees.

"Podocalpus tree is capable of facilitating capillarity of ground water to the layers by providing pores to the ground. That is why shores of ponds are mostly found nearby these indigenous trees," Proffessor Legesse heads Indigenous trees research activities at the Addis Ababa University.

"Losing such trees means aggravating percolation of waters down ward." The professor made the remarks while presenting the results of his research conducted on the lose of the indigenous trees and the impact resulting upon the mineral water fountain.

The symposium, which was held at the Addis Ababa City Hall, was organized by the Save Nature Ethiopia, a local NGO working on environmental conservation.

Even if no study has been conducted to prove it, the amount of mineral water yield will decrease in the future and surely, it has already decreased, the researcher noted.

Moreover, pressure on farmland has forced local farmers to plough very close to the main spring area, aggravating the problem, according to the professor.

Professor Legesse said he had discussed the matter with the General Manager of the factory who he said agreed to take measures in an effort to restore the lost biodiversity, such as planting the indigenous trees.

The researcher also talked of the nearby Guder locality where he said there were signs of desertification as a result of intensive agricultural practice using fertilizers.

He said "that part of the land needs to rest and revive, despite the country's food security problem; because, the long term impacts would be relatively worse." Explaining the need for restoring indigenous trees Vis a Vis the comparative disadvantage of foreign trees, Professor Legesse recommended adaptation in relation to the fertility of the land.

"Indigenous trees are the result of evolutionary lines exceeding millions of years hence are very much adapted to the ecosystem of the country," he noted.

"On the other hand, foreign trees are not, let alone the soil degradation resulting by some of them such as the Eucalyptus which aggravate leaching of the soil," he explained.

He said the lose link among similar institutions in the country was a barrier in the efforts to restore the lost heritages of these indigenous trees.

"Thirteen years have passed since AAU started propagating indigenous trees; yet no institution in the country is prepared to learn how we are doing the propagation in the laboratory" the professor said.

Proffessor Legesse Negash pressed the mostly young members of Save Nature Ethiopia said they have now finalized preparations to plant million trees for the millennium.

"Plant Podocarpus falcatus trees," he informed the youngsters.

"This tree lives for more than thousand years-meaning until the next Ethiopian millennium. This could be your gift to the generation to come, though we inherited you a degrading land and hostile environment." Accacia Abyssinia (Girar), Prunus Africana (Tikur Inchet) and Podocarpus Falcatus (Zigba) are among the precious species of indigenous trees on the verge of extinction according to the professor.