Diress Tsegaye Alemu

Forsker

(+47) 930 53 761
diress.alemu@nibio.no

Sted
Ås - Bygg O43

Besøksadresse
Oluf Thesens vei 43, 1433 Ås (Varelevering: Elizabeth Stephansens vei 23)

Vedlegg

CV

Biografi

Jeg har en doktorgrad i naturressursforvaltning (2010) ved Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU), Norge. Jeg har over 20 års internasjonal forsknings- og undervisningserfaring innen økologi og forvaltning av naturressurser. Tidligere har jeg jobbet som forsker ved Universitetet i Oslo og NMBU fra juli 2010- februar 2023. Forskningen min fokuserer på mønstre og prosesser i landbruks- og naturlandskap, klimaendringer, analyse arealbruk/arealdekke, bevaring av biologisk mangfold og viltforvaltning. Svært god og lang erfaring i å organisere og analysere økologiske data og presentere resultater på høyt nivå. Jeg har publisert mer enn 50 artikler og tekniske rapporter, hvorav 42 er fagfellevurderte vitenskapelige tidsskriftartikler. Jeg har veldig gode ferdigheter i modellering/statistisk dataanalysebakgrunn med meget gode ferdigheter innen R/Rstudio programmering, ArcGIS og QGIS programvarer. Jeg har også prosjektledelse med tverrfaglige flerkulturelle prosjektgrupper.

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Sammendrag

Mountain areas in Norway provide important resources for livestock grazing. These resources are crucial for agricultural production in a country with limited agricultural land and a climate and topography that restrict production of feed and food. A key contributor in the harvest of these resources has been mountain summer farming and outfield grazing in general. However, the use of mountainous grazing resources has been declining strongly for several decades with the regrowth of formerly open areas as a consequence. In contrast, recreational use, number of holiday cabins and associated infrastructure is rapidly increasing. Conflicts between recreational and agriculture use have received increasing attention in different media. We investigated the spatial patterns of cabin development and key grazing areas in Norwegian mountain areas, analysing data on livestock, cabins, and associated infrastructure. We found a large number of cabins and associated infrastructure within high-quality grazing areas indicating that the quality of grazing has not been adequately considered in the location of new cabins. Taking into consideration that cabin development seems not to decrease, the reduced availability of grazing resources may result in an increasing level of conflict and also impact food security in the long run.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

Geographical distribution and diversity patterns of bird species are influenced by climate change. The Rouget's rail (Rougetius rougetii) is a ground-dwelling endemic bird species distributed in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is a near-threatened species menaced by habitat loss, one of the main causes of population declines for bird species. The increasing effects of climate change may further threaten the species’ survival. So far, the spatial distribution of this species is not fully documented. With this study, we develop current potential suitable habitat and predict the future habitat shift of R. rougetii based on environmental data such as bioclimatic variables, population density, vegetation cover, and elevation using 10 algorithms. We evaluated the importance of environmental factors in shaping the bird's distribution and how it shifts under climate change scenarios. We used 182 records of R. rougetii from Ethiopia and nine bioclimatic, population density, vegetation cover, and elevation variables to run the 10 model algorithms. Among 10 algorithms, eight were selected for ensembling models according to their predictive abilities. The current suitable habitats for R. rougetii were predicted to cover an area of about 82,000 km2 despite being highly fragmented. The model suggested that temperature seasonality (bio4), elevation, and mean daily air temperatures of the driest quarter (bio9) contributed the most to delimiting suitable areas for this species. R. rougetii is sensitive to climate change associated with elevation, which leads shrinking distribution of suitable areas. The projected spatial and temporal pattern of habitat loss of R. rougetii suggests the importance of climate change mitigation and implementing long-term conservation and management strategies for this threatened endemic bird species.

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Sammendrag

Understanding the effects of variation in resource availability and habitat disturbance on the ecology of mammals is vital for successful conservation management. In this study, we examined how human disturbances, resource availability and elevation gradients influence mammal assemblages in both managed coffee forest and natural forest of the Belete-Gera National Forest Priority Area, southwestern Ethiopia. We surveyed mammals using motion-detecting infrared camera traps in 90 locations for a total of 4142 camera days. We measured distance from main roads and settlements as disturbance factors, and distance from water sources, key grazing sites, and forest edges and woody plant diversity as resource variables. We assessed the mammal assemblages in coffee forest and natural forests using generalized linear models. Further, we used linear modelling to compare the relationships of mammal detection rates by feeding guilds and body size to resource variables. In total, we recorded 8815 videos identifying 23 different mammal species. The mammal assemblages in coffee forests were negatively associated with increasing distances from key grazing sites, water sources, and elevation. In contrast, the association with increasing distance from the road and woody plant diversity was positive. In addition, herbivores and large (25–200 kg) and very large (≥200 kg) mammals, were all negatively associated with increasing distance from the natural forest edges. With the conversion of natural forest to coffee forest and the intensification of coffee forest management, sustainable management of key grazing sites, water sources, and diverse woody plant species will be essential to the conservation of mammals. In addition, to ensure mammal conservation, adjacent natural forests around coffee forests should also be protected.