Review of sustainable Environmental Resources management policies, plans, proclamations and Strategies: Amhara National Region State, Ethiopia

African agricultural inventions and cultivation techniques tend to be adapted to local ecological conditions and sensitive to the critical need to preserve fragile natural resources. Poverty reduction and macroeconomic growth is a legitimate concern for Ethiopia and the health of its citizens, since implementation capacity is hindered by inadequate funds. Nevertheless, a focus on poverty reduction cannot ignore the implications of development for the environment. Land degradation in the Ethiopian highlands, areas above 1500m above sea level, has been a concern for many years. Soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and deforestation are common, but little has been done to determine their impact on productivity. The Ethiopian experience indicates that sustainable, conservation-based strategies aimed at increasing food production for domestic consumption and bringing about the more equitable distribution of resources merit greater attention. Ongoing land degradation in Ethiopia requires urgent action, and has been addressed at different levels of society, including widespread soil and water conservation activities, and the introduction of technologies, which integrate local knowledge and farmer's initiatives. In our experience, and in line with studies reviewed elsewhere, natural resources conservation in Ethiopia is directed towards an integration of food self-sufficiency of the environment, and frequently follows a participatory approach. In Amhara National Regional State, policy, proclamation, plan and directives have been developed, and appeals and arbitration committees have now been formed. An information and documentation system is being instituted where data would be collected and compiled at Kebele level, while digital formats have been used at the regional level. “Sustainability” is a multidimensional and dynamic concept, encompassing considerations of interrelated economic, social and environmental factors. In order to be sustainable, development must be socially and environmentally sustainable, as well as economically sustainable. Although economic, social and environmental factors are all incorporated into the conceptual framework of any
project, their relationship to sustainability needs to be clarified.