AMBO UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
HHC.
DEP- ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING
COURSE- ECIOLOGICAL ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM

GROUP MEMBERS
BEKELE CHULUKE BRT/0010/10
GUTA WORKNEH BRT/0021/10
HABTAMU TSEGAYE BRT/1182/10
TSION ALEMAYEHU BRT/0036/10
WOYESSA AMALO BRT/0037/10
YOHANS EJIGU BRT/0041/10
TITTLE- ECOSYSTEMS IN ETHIOPIA
 ALL ECOSYSTEMS IN ETHIOPIA

 Ethiopia is rich with diverse ecosystems in which diverse flora and

fauna as well as microbial resources are found.
 The major ecosystems include:
 1] Afroalpine and sub Afroalpine  8] Aquatic & wetland
 2] Montane dry forest and scrubland
 9] wetland
forest
 3] Montane moist forest  10] Montane grassland

 4] Acacia-Comiphora woodland  11] Desert and semidesert ecosystems.

 6] Combretum-Terminalia woodland
 7] Lowland humid forest,
A. Location map
B. Detail Table
 1. Afroalpine and Sub Afroalpine
Ecosystem

 Afroalpine areas ranges between 3200- 3500

m. These areas include chains of mountains,
mountain slopes and tops of highest mountains
in the country.
 The highest peak in Ethiopia is Ras Dashen
(4533 m A.S.L), where an alpine climate near 0°C
persists all year round, sometimes even with a
snow cover lasting a couple of days (Hurni and
Ludi, 1998). However, dry lowland savannas and
deserts surround this moist highland area.
 Cont’d…

 Ethiopia has the largest extent of afro alpine habitats

in Africa (Yalden, 1983).
The highlands of Ethiopia were formed between 40
and 25 million years from the present by lava
outpouring of the trepipam series in the Miocene and
Oligocene (Mohr, 1971).
 Comparatively there are more floristic and faunal
studies from the afroalpine and subafroalpine
ecosystems of Bale and Simien Mountains than from
the same ecosystems of other regions such as Wello,
Gemgofa, Arsi, etc.
 Cont’d…

 The climate of Afroalpine ecosystem is governed by two

fundamental geographical circumstances: the vicinity to
the equator, and the high altitude above sea level
(Hedberg 1964).

 The soils of upper alpine belts are comparatively porous

with low water-holding capacity, but offering good
drainage.

 The soil conditions in the lower part of the alpine belt

are different, where the closed vegetation has facilitated
accumulation and retention of more fine-textured
material.
 2. Montane-Grassland Ecosystem

 The montane grassland ecosystem is

distinguished from other types of ecosystems by
its physiognomy, floristic composition and
ecology.

 It consists of herbaceous stratum usually not

higher than 30 – 80 cm, very rich in perennial
grasses and species of Cyperaceae, but also with
sub-shrubs and perennial herbs, among which
bulbous and rhizomatous plants occur.
 Cont’d…

 This ecosystem occurs in the areas where human activity has

been largest and most intense, and found at altitudes between
1500 and 3000 m.a.s.l.
 The montane grassland in most places derived from forest and
other woody vegetation types.
 Characteristic species of the montane grassland ecosystem
include species of: Pennisetum shimperi, Pennisetum glabrum,
Pennisetum mezanu, Hyparrhenia rufa, Cynodon dactylon,
Eragrostis tennifolia, Eragrostis japonica, Pennisetum
clandestinum, Panicum maximum, Cymbopogon spp. Chloris
spp., and Andropogon spp.
 Cont’d…

 The Ethiopian highlands contribute to

more than 50 % of the land area with
Afromontane vegetation, of which dry
montane forests form the largest part
(Yalden, 1983; Tamrat Bekele, 1994).
 3. Dry Evergreen Montane Forest

 Dry Evergreen Montane Forest is a very complex vegetation

type occurring in an altitudinal range of 1500-2700 m, with
average annual temperature and rainfall of 14-25° C and
700-1100 mm, respectively (Friis, 1992).

 It is inhabited by the majority of the Ethiopian population

and represents a zone of sedentary cereal-based mixed
agriculture for centuries.

 This type of forest develops in areas of relatively high

humidity, but not much rain, and where there is a
prolonged dry season.
 4. Montane Moist Forest Ecosystem

 The montane moist forest ecosystem comprises high

forests of the country mainly the southwest forests,
which are the wettest, and also the humid forest on
the southeastern plateau known as the Harenna
forest.

 The forest vegetation was stratified into four

different layers, namely, upper canopy, sub-canopy,
shrub layer and the ground layer.
 5. Acacia-Commiphora Woodland
Ecosystem

 The Acacia-Commiphora ecosystem is known for its varying

soils, topography, and diverse biotic and ecological elements.

 These plant species are with either small deciduous leaves or

leathery persistent ones.

 The density of trees varies from ‘high’, in which they form a

closed canopy to scattered individuals to none at all forming
open grasslands.

 The grasses do not exceed more than one meter, thus, no true
savannah is formed.
 Cont’d…

 It is a dry ecosystem; at times, the dry season lasts as

long as 10 months in a year.
 In moisture zone classification, the ecosystem extends
from dry sub-humid to arid zones. Accordingly, a harsh
and hot temperature with a low and uneven rainfall
distribution generally characterizes the ecosystem.
 In the ecosystem, there is a substantive amount of water
resources. There are seven major lakes located in the
ecosystem, namely, Ziway, Langano, Abijata, Shalla,
Awasa, Abijata and Chamo.
 These lakes are used for commercial fisheries, irrigation,
recreation and for industrial purposes. In the lakes region
of the ecosystem, most streams are perennial and the
depth to ground water is 0- 150 m.
 6. Combretum-Terminalia Woodland
Ecosystem

 The geology of the Combretum-Terminalia ecosystem is

characterized by extensive Late Tertiary that covers the pre-
cambrian rocks that underlie all the other rocks in Ethiopia.

 The topography/terrain is rugged; the upper limits about 1900

meters above sea level and the lower about 500 meters above sea
level. The soil erosion rate is very high especially at the onset of
rains.
 This ecosystem generally occurs on rockier sandy soils
 7. Lowland Tropical Forest Ecosystem

 This ecosystem is characterized by unimodal rainfall

brought by tropical monsoon blowing from south
Atlantic and Indian Ocean. It is also characterized by
heavy rainfall during the wet season.

 This forest occurs on well-drained sandy soils, with

altitudinal range of 450 to 800 m, mean annual
maximum temperature of 35 to 38° C, mean annual
minimum temperature of 18 to 20° C, mean annual
temperature of 28 to 30° C and annual rainfall range of
1300-1800 mm.
 8. Desert and Semi-Desert Scrubland
Ecosystem

 It is a very dry zone vulnerable to wind and water erosion even with little or no pressure
on the vegetation from grazing.

 The vegetation consists of deciduous shrubs, dominated by Acacia sp. interspersed with
less frequent evergreen shrubs and succulents. It has very variable grass vegetation.

 The people of the area are pastoral and agro-pastoral. Large scale irrigated agriculture is
gaining importance in some areas of the ecosystem. This ecosystem is the extreme
lowland region of the country. The flora has developed an advanced xeromorphic
adaptation.
 Cont’d…

 This ecosystem is the extreme lowland region of

the country. The flora has developed an advanced
xeromorphic adaptation. Shrubs and trees have
developed dwarf growth and have small or
pubescent leaves.
 The depth of the ground water is 0-270 m. Those
areas covering the southeastern parts (the
Ogaden) are characterized by localized and
limited quantity of ground water with a depth of
0-300 m. The quality is fair-to-poor chemically.
9. Wetland Ecosystem

 Ethiopia possesses a great diversity of wetland ecosystem (swamps, marshes, flood

plains, natural or artificial ponds, high mountains lake and micro-dams) as a result
of formation of diverse landscape subjected to various tectonic movements, a
continuous process of erosion, and human activities.

 The different geological formation and climatic conditions have endowed Ethiopia
with a vast water resources and wetland ecosystem including 12 river basins, 8
major lakes and many swamps, floodplains, and man made reservoirs with a total
annual surface runoff about 110 billion cubic meter (EFAP, 1989).

 According to Hillman (1993), there are 77 wetlands in Ethiopia and Eritrea with a
total coverage of 13,699 km2 or 1.14% of the total landmasses of the country.
Cont’d…

 Percents of wetlands in Ethiopia

 Cont’d…

 In the Ethiopian context marshy areas, swamp

lands, flood plains, natural and artificial ponds,
volcanic crater lakes, high mountain lakes and
upland bogs are treated collectively as wetland
ecosystems.
 In wetland ecosystem water is the primary factor
controlling both the plant and animal life. It
favors particular type of trees, shrubby species
and associated herbs and grasses.
 wetland ecosystem include those of aquatic
macrophytes such as Cyperus, Eleocharis, Scirpus,
Echinochloa, Panicum, Alisma plantago-aquatica,
Nymphaea, Typha, Paspalidium, Potamogoton,
Wolffia, Aeschynomene, Phragmites, Urochloa,
Veronica, Hydrocotyle, Polygonium, kyllinga etc.
10. Aquatic Ecosystem

 Aquatic in literal meaning refers to water. As an ecosystem, widely taken, it

includes freshwater (rivers, reservoirs and lakes), marine (oceans and seas) and
estuarine (coastal, bays, tidal) ecosystems.

 The Ethiopian aquatic ecosystem has high diversity areas such as major rivers and
lakes that are of great national and international importance.

 The country is well known for its richness in water potential. There are about 30
major lakes that are located in different ecological zones.
 Cont’d…

 These lakes are situated at altitudes ranging from

about 150 m below sea level high up to 4000 m.

 The surface area of the lakes vary considerably from

less than 1 km² to over 3600 km² and mean depths
range from few meters to over 260 meters. However,
the major lakes that are of economic importance are
concentrated in the Rift Valley
THANKS!