War-induced obstruction of natural resources restoration: quantitative evidences from the Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Wars are usually associated with degradation of natural resources. With the objective of quantifying the effect of the two years’ (2020-2022) Tigray war on degradation of natural resources that have been under restoration, 10 ex-battlefield (ex-BF) and 12 non-battlefield (NBF) sites were selected. The ex-BF sites were further divided into exclosures (n = 5) and farmlands (n = 5), while NBFs were divided into exclosures (n = 6) and farmlands (n = 6). Detail field observations were carried out through transect walks and farmers were interviewed (n=500). To measure the impacts of the war on land degradation, field measurements were conducted on bunds (n = 324), check dams (n = 87), war fortifications (n = 102), tree plots (n = 143), footpaths (n = 17), waterways (n = 44), and gullies (n = 85). These were verified using high resolution Google Earth Imageries as well as  Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data calculated from Sentinel 2 satellite images that were acquired before and after the war and through interviewing farmers (n=500). The findings reveal that the mean proportion of war-induced damaged bunds was 0.246 ± 0.185. A significant difference in bund destruction was observed between BFs and NBFs (p < 0.0001). Combatants used stones from bunds to construct war trenches up to 650 m long. In addition, 52% of the farmers perceived that the war disrupted exclosure management. Plot level analysis also shows that mean proportion of destroyed trees was 0.31 ± 0.15, with greater tree loss in BFs (46% ± 13%) compared to NBFs (19% ± 12%) (p < 0.0001). Besides, 44% of the check dams were damaged across the sites, with 78.3% of check dams in BFs classified as being in poor condition compared to 31.1% in NBFs. Moreover, the average pit volume in BFs and NBFs was 0.503 ± 0.389 m³, with mean sediment displacement in BFs (0.82 ± 0.17 m³) higher than in NBFs (p<0.006). New and reactivated gullies were also found with variable volumes, ranging from 134.3 ± 92.4 m³ in NBFs to 362.7 ± 629.4 m³ in BFs. In conclusion, the war resulted in obstruction of restoration process of the natural resources that have been undergoing in the degraded region over the last three decades. Therefore, integrated post-war rehabilitation strategies are needed to mitigate the environmental problems caused by the war.