Remote Sensing Reveals Impact of Armed Conflict on Woody Vegetation in Tigray

[yaman]

I know this could be of interest to some of you in here. This is an extensive "report" on the destructive impact of Tigray war on woody vegitation in Tigray. Comparing vegetation coverages before and after the war using Sentinel 2 image, the authors found that forest coverage in Tigray declined by at least 5%, from about 17% in 2020 to 12% in 2022.

Link to the article.

[yaman]

Here is also another article that investigates the impact of armed conflict on vegetation cover degradation in Tigray.

Employing Landsat ETM+ and OLI images, the authors compared vegetation indices in 2000, 2020 (at the war's onset), and 2022. The findings revealed that over the two-year wartime period, vegetation coverage in Tigray experienced a 5% decline (same as the above paper).

But what is surprising about their finding is that this decline is more than 2.5 times the increase observed over the preceding two decades (from 2000 to 2020). i.e., በ20 ዓመታት ከለማው በላይ በእጥፍ የሚበልጥ በሁለቱ የጦርነት ዓመታት ብቻ ወድሟል!!

[yaman]

Speaking of Tigray war, here is another interesting article on maternal mortality rate during war time.

Maternal mortality ratio during war time in Tigray increased to 840/100,000 from pre war level of 186/100,000. Haemorrhage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and accidents were the main causes of maternal mortality. Many of the pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented with basic access to preventive and emergency services.
...
Six months into the war, only 30% of hospitals, 17% of health centres, 11.5% of ambulances and none of the 712 health posts were functional. Generally, by the beginning of March 2021, nearly 70% of health facilities had been looted and more than 30% had been damaged; only 13% were functional.

Link to the article

[ZaraYaqob]

Thank you for sharing this information, @yaman. It's disheartening to learn about the destructive impact of the Tigray war on such scale both on human lives and the environment. The articles you mentioned are stark reminders of the interconnectedness between conflict and environmental well-being. It's crucial to remain informed about such issues and advocate for sustainable solutions that address both the immediate humanitarian needs and the long-term environmental impacts.

Here is also another article that investigates the impact of armed conflict on vegetation cover degradation in Tigray.

Employing Landsat ETM+ and OLI images, the authors compared vegetation indices in 2000, 2020 (at the war's onset), and 2022. The findings revealed that over the two-year wartime period, vegetation coverage in Tigray experienced a 5% decline (same as the above paper).

But what is surprising about their finding is that this decline is more than 2.5 times the increase observed over the preceding two decades (from 2000 to 2020). i.e., በ20 ዓመታት ከለማው በላይ በእጥፍ የሚበልጥ በሁለቱ የጦርነት ዓመታት ብቻ ወድሟል!!

[yaman]

Glad to see you (participating), @ZaraYaqob ! It is encouraging people started showing up. Looking forward to your thought-provoking insights as usual.

Thank you for sharing this information, @yaman. It's disheartening to learn about the destructive impact of the Tigray war on such scale both on human lives and the environment. The articles you mentioned are stark reminders of the interconnectedness between conflict and environmental well-being. It's crucial to remain informed about such issues and advocate for sustainable solutions that address both the immediate humanitarian needs and the long-term environmental impacts.

Here is also another article that investigates the impact of armed conflict on vegetation cover degradation in Tigray.

Employing Landsat ETM+ and OLI images, the authors compared vegetation indices in 2000, 2020 (at the war's onset), and 2022. The findings revealed that over the two-year wartime period, vegetation coverage in Tigray experienced a 5% decline (same as the above paper).

But what is surprising about their finding is that this decline is more than 2.5 times the increase observed over the preceding two decades (from 2000 to 2020). i.e., በ20 ዓመታት ከለማው በላይ በእጥፍ የሚበልጥ በሁለቱ የጦርነት ዓመታት ብቻ ወድሟል!!