Abstract:
Forests regulate local and global climate, ameliorate weather events, regulate the
hydrological cycle, protect watersheds and their vegetation, water flows and soils,
and provide a vast store of genetic information much of which has yet to be
uncovered. The deforestation rate and its related consequences have been felt in
Gedo forest. This study aimed at analyzing the spatiotemporal aspects, from its
forest cover change and its associated ecosystem services of the study area. The
forest landscape is located in the; Cheliya; Elu Gelan and Bako Tibe woredas of
west shewa zone. The research design used in collecting and analyzing the
measures of variables in the research problems for this study were Casual, crosssectional, and longitudinal designs which are coincided with quantitative and
qualitative research designs. By using remote sensing and geographic information
system supported with field verifications, the information were extracted from
Satellite images to detect the level and rate of forest cover dynamics and the
ecosystem services values were quantified over the last 45 years.The land use land
cover differences of 45 years of the two marginal years /1973 and 2018/ indicates
the decline of forest land, shrub land and grass land. The forest covers of the study
area decreased by 71% and the shrub land declined by 55% while the grass land
was diminished by 59%. The agriculture land and settlement showed a little
increment. The total status of the ecosystem service deliverance of the biome in the
study area is observed and turned on between 1973 and 2018, it was decreased
from 35.71 million to 21.16 Million US$. Creating awareness ,build up a local
communities’ power in managing and protecting forest resources, Sustainable land
management, Afforestation and reforestation of trees and further studies are
recommended to restore the loss in forest and ecosystem services