Impacts of agricultural chemical inputs on the ecology and ecosystem service delivery of lake Tana sub-basin wetlands, Ethiopia

The wetlands in the Lake Tana Sub-basin are among the largest and ecologically most important ones in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. The Lake Tana Sub-basin provides a wide range of ecosystem services for humans, particularly for local communities. Although Ethiopia is endowed with many wetland ecosystems that contribute diversified benefits to many people's livelihood and biodiversity conservation, they have not always been appreciated for their benefits. Thus, they are ranked among the most threatened ecosystems in Ethiopia. The recent expansion of intensive irrigation in the region particularly along the shoreline of Lake Tana and its sub -basin wetlands put the ecosystem under pressure of chemical pollution by nutrients and pesticides. Furthermore, the ecosystem is also stressed by, for instance, nutrients and pesticides due to poor agricultural practices. So far, little is known about the ecological adverse effects of nutrients and pesticides to the ecosystem of the Lake Tana sub-basin wetlands and its ecosystem service delivery. This project aims to provide more insight on the ecosystem services provided by Lake Tana Sub-basin wetlands and assess risk of agrochemicals on the Lake Tana ecosystem, herewith contributing to an improved management of the ecosystems.