Assessment of land degradation recovery measures and its socioeconomic challenges in the southern region of Eritrea

State and society Eritrea have been implementing various land restoration measures, mainly afforestation and soil and water conservation activities. This paper assesses the results of the implemented land recovery measures and their socioeconomic challenges in the Adi Quala subzone, Eritrea. The analysis utilized the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) assessment for images captured at various time points (1994, 2002, 2009, 2015 and 2021), complemented by field observation and focus group discussions. The results of satellite image analysis indicate a notable improvement in the vegetation cover of the area. The latest year, 2021, has the highest mean NDVI value of 0.42, reflecting an improved vegetation cover. Similarly, local observations and discussions revealed that the local communities have been involved in afforestation and Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) works. Villages have established successful enclosures, which result in the restoration of native vegetation and most hillside catchments and croplands are terraced. Despite this, socioeconomic factors including labour shortages, use of resources and the land tenure system impede the recovery processes. As such, some areas designated for afforestation have limited vegetation and rills and gullies expanding to croplands are still observed, mainly in the Kolla area.