Work

Land Certification and Forest Development by Individuals and Communities in Legehida Woreda, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia: Examining Associations, Perceptions, and Land‐Cover Dynamics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Land certification is widely promoted as an institutional lever for forest development in Africa, yet empirical evidence on its association with household‐and community‐level forestry outcomes remains limited, particularly in Ethiopia’s Legehida District. This study used a mixed‐method, cross‐sectional design combining a household survey ( n = 345), key informant interviews and a concentrated group discussion, a paired comparison of self‐reported tree planting before and after certification, and Landsat‐based land‐use/land‐cover change (LULCC) analysis (2003, 2013, 2023) to examine how land certification relates to tree planting, community afforestation, forest management practices, and land‐cover change in two purposively selected kebeles (Tabot Mewaya and Aselel). Because the design is cross‐sectional and non‐experimental, the findings are reported as associations rather than causal effects. Binary logistic regression showed that households who perceived their land certificate as “highly important” had significantly higher odds of tree planting than those who considered it “not important” (OR = 4.287, 95% CI reported in, p < 0.05), while the “somewhat important” group showed a weaker association significant at the 10% level (OR = 2.236). A paired‐samples t ‐test indicated that respondents reported planting an average of 511.3 more trees in the 5 years after certification than in the 5 years before ( p < 0.001). Certification perception was also associated with greater self‐reported engagement in community afforestation and with the adoption of silvicultural practices such as thinning, coppicing, and weeding. However, the LULCC analysis shows a more complex picture: Farmland expanded substantially in both kebeles (from 28.15% to 48.81% in Aselel and from 31.89% to 54.85% in Tabot Mewaya between 2003 and 2023), mainly at the expense of bare land, while forest cover showed a modest recovery in Aselel (17.38% to 19.76%) but continued to decline in Tabot Mewaya (to 5.03%). These mixed land‐cover outcomes indicate that secure land documentation is associated with positive forestry behaviors at the household level but coexists with substantial farm expansion at the landscape level. We recommend extension programs, technical assistance, knowledge‐sharing platforms, and demonstration plots to reinforce the forest‐positive associations identified in this study.

Source: International Journal of Forestry Research

DOI: 10.1155/ijfr/5590557

Authors: Solomon Melaku Melese, Tesfaye Kebde Yimer, Estifanos Feleke Dagne

Institution: Wollo University

Language: English

Topic: Land Rights and Reforms

Subfield: Soil Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action, No poverty

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $860