Mahbere Sillasie Explained

Official Name:Mahbere Sillasie
Settlement Type:Municipality
Pushpin Map:Ethiopia
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Ethiopia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Ethiopia
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Tigray
Subdivision Type2:Zone
Subdivision Name2:Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern)
Subdivision Type3:Woreda
Subdivision Name3:Dogu'a Tembien
Area Total Km2:32.8
Population As Of:2007
Population Total:5022
Population Density Km2:153
Timezone:EAT
Utc Offset:+3
Coordinates:13.65°N 48°W
Elevation M:2580

Mahbere Sillasie is a tabia or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The tabia centre is in Guderbo village, located approximately 2.5 km to the west-northwest of the woreda town Hagere Selam.

Geography

The tabia stretches down from the ridge west of Hagere Selam, northbound towards Tsaliet river. The highest peak is just south of Guderbo (2730 m a.s.l.) and the lowest place deep in the Tsaliet gorge (1780 m a.s.l.).

Geology

From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:[1]

See also: Soil in Dogu'a Tembien.

Climate

The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. Mean temperature in Guderbo is 17.4 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 9.6 °C and maximum of 24.8 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.[2]

Springs

As there are no permanent rivers, the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the tabia are:[3]

Reservoirs

In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting runoff from the rainy season for further use in the dry season. Overall they suffer from siltation.[4] Yet, they strongly contribute to greening the landscape, either through irrigation or seepage water.

Settlements

The tabia centre Guderbo holds a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school, and some small shops.[3] There are a few more primary schools across the tabia. The main other populated places are:[6]

Vegetation and exclosures

The tabia holds several exclosures, areas that are set aside for regreening,[7] such as Harehuwa exclosure. Wood harvesting and livestock range are not allowed there. Besides effects on biodiversity,[8] [9] [10] water infiltration, protection from flooding, sediment deposition,[11] carbon sequestration,[12] people commonly have economic benefits from these exclosures through grass harvesting, beekeeping and other non-timber forest products.[13] The local inhabitants also consider it as “land set aside for future generations”.[14]

Agriculture and livelihood

Crop farming

The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by farmlands which are clearly demarcated and are cropped every year. Hence the agricultural system is a permanent upland farming system.[15] The farmers have adapted their cropping systems to the spatio-temporal variability in rainfall.[16]

Schools

Almost all children of the tabia are schooled,[17] though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades. Schools in the tabia include the Harehuwa school.

History and culture

History

The history of the tabia is strongly confounded with the history of Tembien. In the 1980s, the TPLF, established its headquarters in a cave in Addi Geza'iti. From these underground rooms and offices cut out in sandstone cliffs, the TPLF carried out its political activities, including a major land reform; it was from here that the offensives were organised till the conquest of Addis Ababa in 1991.

Religion and churches

Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the tabia:

Inda Siwa, the local beer houses

In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses (Inda Siwa), often in unique settings, which are a good place for resting and chatting with the local people. Most renown in the tabia are[3]

Roads and communication

The main road Mekelle – Hagere Selam – Abiy Addi runs southeast of the tabia. Further, rural access road link most villages to Guderbo and further to the main asphalt road.

Tourism

Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle makes the tabia fit for tourism.[18]

Tourist attractions

Geotourism sites

The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invites for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism".[20] Geosites in the tabia include:

Birdwatching

Birdwatching (for the species, see the main Dogu'a Tembien page) can be done particularly in exclosures and forests. The following bird-watching sites have been inventoried[21] in the tabia and mapped.[6]

Trekking routes

Trekking routes have been established in this tabia.[22] The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.[23]

Accommodation and facilities

The facilities are very basic.[24] One may be invited to spend the night in a rural homestead or ask permission to pitch a tent. Hotels are available in Hagere Selam and Mekelle.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Sembroni . A. . Molin . P. . Dramis . F. . Regional geology of the Dogu'a Tembien massif. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  2. Book: Jacob . M. and colleagues . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . Dogu'a Tembien's Tropical Mountain Climate . GeoGuide . 2019 . 45–61 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_3 . 199105560 .
  3. Book: What do we hear from the farmers in Dogu'a Tembien? [in Tigrinya] ]. 2016 . Hagere Selam, Ethiopia . 100 .
  4. Nigussie Haregeweyn . and colleagues . Reservoirs in Tigray: characteristics and sediment deposition problems . Land Degradation and Development . 2006 . 17 . 211–230 . 10.1002/ldr.698 . 129834993 . free .
  5. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3763/ijas.2008.0366 Developers and farmers intertwining interventions: the case of rainwater harvesting and food-for-work in Degua Temben, Tigray, Ethiopia
  6. Book: Jacob . M. and colleagues . Geo-trekking map of Dogu'a Tembien (1:50,000). In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  7. Aerts . R . Nyssen . J. Mitiku Haile . On the difference between "exclosures" and "enclosures" in ecology and the environment . Journal of Arid Environments . 2009. 73 . 8 . 762–763 . 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.01.006 . 2009JArEn..73..762A .
  8. Book: Aerts . R. . Lerouge . F. . November . E. . Birds of forests and open woodlands in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  9. Mastewal Yami . and colleagues . Impact of Area Enclosures on Density and Diversity of Large Wild Mammals: The Case of May Ba'ati, Douga Tembien Woreda, Central Tigray, Ethiopia . East African Journal of Sciences . 2007. 1 . 1–14 .
  10. Aerts . R . Lerouge . F . November . E . Lens . L . Hermy . M . Muys . B . Land rehabilitation and the conservation of birds in a degraded Afromontane landscape in northern Ethiopia . Biodiversity and Conservation . 2008 . 17 . 53–69 . 10.1007/s10531-007-9230-2 . 37489450 .
  11. Descheemaeker . K. and colleagues . Sediment deposition and pedogenesis in exclosures in the Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia. . Geoderma . 2006 . 132 . 3–4. 291–314 . 10.1016/j.geoderma.2005.04.027 . 2006Geode.132..291D .
  12. Wolde Mekuria . and colleagues . Restoration of Ecosystem Carbon Stocks Following Exclosure Establishment in Communal Grazing Lands in Tigray, Ethiopia . Soil Science Society of America Journal . 2011 . 75 . 1 . 246–256. 10.2136/sssaj2010.0176 . 2011SSASJ..75..246M .
  13. Bedru Babulo . and colleagues . Economic valuation methods of forest rehabilitation in exclosures . Journal of the Drylands . 2006 . 1 . 165–170 .
  14. Book: Jacob . M. and colleagues . Exclosures as Primary Option for Reforestation in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  15. Nyssen. J.. Naudts. J.. De Geyndt. K.. Haile. Mitiku. Poesen. J.. Moeyersons. J.. Deckers. J.. Soils and land use in the Tigray highlands (Northern Ethiopia) . Land Degradation and Development . 2008 . 19 . 3. 257–274 . 10.1002/ldr.840. 128492271.
  16. Frankl . A. and colleagues . The effect of rainfall on spatio‐temporal variability in cropping systems and duration of crop cover in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands . Soil Use and Management . 2013 . 29 . 3 . 374–383 . 10.1111/sum.12041 . 1854/LU-3123393 . 95207289 . free .
  17. Book: Socio-demographic profile, food insecurity and food-aid based response. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  18. Book: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  19. Book: 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_31. 199338121 . Historical Maps, Terrestrial and Aerial Photographs . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . GeoGuide . Nyssen . Jan . Petrie . Gordon . Munro . R. Neil . Jacob . Miro . Smidt . Wolbert . Haile . Mitiku . Frankl . Amaury . Billi . Paolo . 461–476 .
  20. Book: Miruts Hagos and colleagues . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . Geosites, Geoheritage, Human-Environment Interactions, and Sustainable Geotourism in Dogu'a Tembien . GeoGuide . 2019 . 3–27 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_1 . 199095921 .
  21. Book: Aerts . R. . Lerouge . F. . November . E. . Birds of forests and open woodlands in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  22. Book: 2019 . Springer-Nature . 557–675 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_38 . GeoGuide . Nyssen . Jan . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . Description of Trekking Routes in Dogu'a Tembien . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 199271514 .
  23. Web site: Public GPS Traces tagged with nyssen-jacob-frankl.
  24. Book: Logistics for the Trekker in a Rural Mountain District of Northern Ethiopia. 2019 . Springer-Nature . 537–556 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_37 . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . GeoGuide . Nyssen . Jan . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 199198251 .

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