HOUSEHOLDS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT PROSOPIS JULIFLORA AND LANTANA CAMARA: THE CASE OF AMIBARA AND TULO DISTRICTS OF AFAR AND OROMIYA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATES, ETHIOPIA

This study explores households’ perceptions about the effects of Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara invasions in Amibara and Tulo districts of Afar and Oromia National Regional States of Ethiopia, respectively. The study used cross-sectional data collected from 260 randomly selected households, 130 households from each district, from 15 selected kebeles through semi-structured questionnaire. To measure households’ perceptions about the invasive species, perception index was constructed based on a five point Likert scale with different perception indicators ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Two limit Tobit regression was also used to determine factors affecting households’ perceptions. The findings show that abundance of P. juliflora and L. camara in the study areas were increasing through time mainly due to mobility of dispersal agents and ease of spreading. With regards to P. juliflora, results revealed that households’ mean perceptions rating is 0.37 and out of 130 sample households 117, 1 and 12 disfavored, favored and indifferent concerning the invasion by the species respectively. Similarly, concerning L. camara, households’ mean rating of their perceptions is 0.40 and among 130 sampled households 108 disfavored the species; while 17 of them favored it and the rest 5 were indifferent. Empirical evidences indicate that gender, market distance, extension service, and livelihood strategy had a significant negative influence while proximity to the bush land had a significant positive effect on households’ perceptions about P. juliflora invasion. Likewise, the finding shows that gender, education level, family size and market distance had a significant negative influence while land holding had a significant positive effect on households’ perceptions about L. camara. Almost all sampled households have employed some form of control measures on their private land. The measures are uprooting seedlings, cutting, and burning though not effective, especially in Amibara district. The study recommends that government bodies in collaboration with stakeholders should design programs which take into account households’ interests, demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and institutional factors for a successful management of P. juliflora and L. camara invasions