ABSTRACT
Ethiopia is located in northeast Africa. The nation has a population of about 60.1 million people. Its population growth rate is about 2.1 percent, and the life expectancy at birth is 50 years (United Nations Human Development Index, 2008). The environmental problems in Ethiopia arise either due to human-made exploration of biodiversity or due to natural disaster. The human-made problems are further compounded by global pollution and the emission of greenhouse pollutants. In Ethiopia, as in many other African countries, the demographic growth has been very high in the past two decades (Handleman, 2009; Hyden, 2006). Apart from these factors, the environmental problems in Ethiopia are closely related to its great geographical diversity (Asefa, 2003; Shibiru, 2000; Zewdu, 2002). The nation is mountainous with high and rugged hills, flat-topped plateaus, and deep gorges incised by river valleys and rolling plains. Gedion Getahun (2009a) contends that this great geographical diversity has made the nation vulnerable to ecological problems, such as soil erosion and land degradation. Other environmental problems that currently face Ethiopia are desertification, deforestation, and the emission of industrial pollutants (Dibie, 2007). The inadequate availability of wildlife also means less meat for the citizens living in both the rural and urban areas of the nation.
