Integrating remote sensing and in situ data to assess wetland ecosystem health within the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework in Lake Tana UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia
Main Article Content
Abstract
The Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve (LTBR) consists of wetlands that provide critical ecosystem services but face degradation from anthropogenic pressures and climate change. This study integrates the Pressure-State-Response framework with multi-temporal remote sensing (Landsat and Sentinel2, 2011–2025) and participatory citizen science. Landscape metrics (patch density, Shannon diversity index, net primary productivity) were derived alongside demographic and infrastructure layers to assess pressures. Quantitative data were triangulated with focus group discussions and participatory mapping. Results show that high population density (up to 13,000 individuals/km²) and cultivated land expansion (78% to 85% from 2011 to 2025) are primary degradation drivers, manifesting as landscape fragmentation and declining vegetation productivity especially in the eastern floodplain areas of LTBR. Integrating spatial analysis with local knowledge reveals spatially differentiated wetland vulnerability shaped by demographic, agricultural, and climatic factors. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of fusing objective spatial data with participatory evidence, offering a scalable model for evidencebased conservation policy in the LTBR and other sensitive wetland systems.
Keywords
Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve, PSR Framework, Remote Sensing, Citizen Science, Landscape Metrics
Article Details
References
[1] I. Mohammed and M. Mengist, “Status, threats and management of wetlands in the Lake Tana sub-basin: A review,” J. Coll. Agric. Environ. Sci., vol. 3, pp. 23–45, 2018.
[2] UNESCO, Pockets of Hope: Biosphere Reserves in South and Central Asia, N. Midha and M. Mehrdadi, Eds., 2026. doi: https://doi.org/10.54677/AXWE1149. [Online]. Available: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000397168. Accessed: Jun. 11, 2026.
[3] D. Tewabe, E. Asmare, W. Zelalem, and B. Mohamed, “Identification of impacts, some biology of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and its management options in Lake Tana, Ethiopia,” Net Journal of Agricultural Science, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 8–15, 2017. doi: https://doi.org/10.30918/NJAS.51.16.039
[4] F. zur Heide, Feasibility Study for a Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. Bonn: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, 2021. (BfN-Skripten, vol. 317). [Online]. Available: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1354742376. ISBN: 9783896240521
[5] ESS, Population projection 2024, Ethiopian Statistical Service, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://ess.gov.ed/download/projected_population-2024/. Accessed: Jun. 23, 2026.
[6] OpenStreetMap contributors, Planet OSM, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://planet.osm.org/. Accessed: May 2, 2025.
[7] U.S. Geological Survey, Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 - Landsat 8-9 OLI/TIRS. USGS EarthExplorer, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov. Accessed: Jun. 11, 2026.
[8] Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, Sentinel 2A&2B, European Space Agency, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/. Accessed: Jun. 11, 2026.
[9] M. Jung, “LecoS — A Python plugin for automated landscape ecology analysis,” Ecological Informatics, vol. 31, pp. 18–21, 2016. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2015.11.006
[10] K. McGarigal, S. A. Cushman, and E. Ene, FRAGSTATS v4: Spatial pattern analysis program for categorical and continuous maps. Amherst, MA, USA: University of Massachusetts, 2012.
[11] D. Fraisl, G. Hager, B. Bedessem, M. Gold, P.-Y. Hsing, F. Danielsen, C. B. Hitchcock, J. M. Hulbert, J. Piera, H. Spiers, M. Thiel, and M. Haklay, “Citizen science in environmental and ecological sciences,” Nature Reviews Methods Primers, vol. 2, no. 1, 2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-022-00144-4
[12] P. Kristensen, “The DPSIR framework,” Workshop on a Comprehensive/ Detailed Assessment of the Vulnerability of Water Resources to Environmental Change in Africa Using River Basin Approach, Nairobi, Kenya, Sep. 27–29, 2004. [Online]. Available: http://fis.freshwatertools.eu/files/MARS_resources/Info_lib/Kristensen(2004)DPSIR%20Framework.pdf. Accessed: Jun. 11, 2026.
[13] S. Gebremedhin, A. Getahun, W. Anteneh, S. Bruneel, and P. Goethals, “A Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Responses framework to support the sustainability of fish and fisheries in Lake Tana, Ethiopia,” Sustainability, vol. 10, no. 8, p. 2957, 2018. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082957
[14] K. Stave, G. Goshu, and S. Aynalem, Social and Ecological System Dynamics. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45755-0
[15] Ramsar Convention Secretariat, “18 Cities Recognized for Safeguarding Urban Wetlands,” 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.ramsar.org/news/18-cities-recognized-for-safeguarding-urban-wetlands. Accessed: Jun. 11, 2026.
[16] W. F. Laurance, J. Sayer, and K. G. Cassman, “Agricultural expansion and its impacts on tropical nature,” Trends in Ecology & Evolution, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 107–116, 2014. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2013.12.001
[17] J. Gayen and D. Datta, “Application of pressure–state–response approach for developing criteria and indicators of ecological health assessment of wetlands: a multi-temporal study in Ichhamati floodplains, India,” Ecological Processes, vol. 12, no. 1, Art. no. 447, 2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-023-00447-8
[18] S. Sarmah, M. Singha, J. Wang, J. Dong, P. K. Deb Burman, S. Goswami, Y. Ge, S. Ilyas, and S. Niu, “Mismatches between vegetation greening and primary productivity trends in South Asia – A satellite evidence,” International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, vol. 104, Art. no. 102561, 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2021.102561
[19] X. Wang, W. He, Y. Huang, X. Wu, X. Zhang, and B. Zhang, “Exploring spatial non-stationarity and scale effects of natural and anthropogenic factors on net primary productivity of vegetation in the Yellow River Basin,” Remote Sensing, vol. 16, no. 17, p. 3156, 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16173156
[20] T. S. Asaye, Z. Y. Amare, B. B. Geremew, and M. G. Abebe, “Rainfall variability and trends in western Amhara: implication for sustainable water management and agricultural productivity,” Water Practice & Technology, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 449–467, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2025.023
[21] L. Fahrig, “Effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity,” Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 487–515, 2003. doi: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.34.011802.132419
[22] A. Agidie, A. Wondie, and G. Beneberu, “The status of wetlands in seasonally flooded plains in eastern part of Lake Tana, Ethiopia,” International Journal of Bonorowo Wetlands, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 74-82, 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.13057/bonorowo/w140203
[23] Z. Hazbavi, S. H. Sadeghi, M. Gholamalifard, and A. A. Davudirad, “Watershed health assessment using the pressure–state–response (PSR) framework,” Land Degradation & Development, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 3–19, 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3420
[24] Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Amhara National Regional State, Bureau of Environmental Protection, Land Administration and Use (BoEPLAU), “Tana Sub-basin Integrated Land Use Planning and Environmental Study Project: Strategic Environmental Assessment, Draft Final,” Technical Report, ADSWE, LUPESP/TaSB: Section II, vol. XV, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Jan. 2015. [Online]. Available: https://mahiderzewdie.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/tosb_sea-apprisal.pdf. Accessed: Jun. 11, 2026.
Carinthia II - Part 3This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.