User:Brshipley/sandbox
Gedeo Cultural Landscape
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ethiopia |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii)(v) |
| Reference | 1641 |
| Inscription | 2023 (45th Session) |
| Area | 29,620 ha (114.4 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 6°14′56″N 38°17′16″E / 6.24889°N 38.28778°E |
  Location of Brshipley/sandbox in Ethiopia | |
The Gedeo Cultural Landscape is a region of the Gedeo Zone, part of the South Ethiopia Regional State in south-central Ethiopia.[1] It stretches across the eastern flank of the Main Ethiopian Rift, ranging from 1307 to 3072 meters above sea level.[2] The region is home to roughly 250,000 Gedeo people.[1] Dotted with sacred forests and megalithic monuments, the region has been the homeland of the Gedeo people for thousands of years.[2] Traditional agroforestry is practiced in the region by the Gedeo people. Because of these traditional practices, its long history of occupation, and the cultural importance of the region, the Gedeo Cultural Landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.[1]
History
The Gedeo region has been occupied for millenia; evidence of occupation dates back to the Neolithic period.[2]
Agroforestry
Volcanism during the Miocene and Quaternary periods and the many alluvial rivers make the region very fertile.[2] More than 90% of the land area of Gedeo Zone is covered in agroforestry.[2]. Enset and coffee are the main agricultural products cultivated across the landscape.[2]
Fifty different species of native woody plants have been found within these traditional agroforests, 22 of which are of particular conservation concern.[3] The most common native plants are Millettia and Cordia africana, and the African cherry also grows within these forests.[3]
- ^ a b c "The Gedeo Cultural Landscape". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Ministry of Culture Tourism and Sport, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (January 2021). The Gedeo Cultural Landscape: World Heritage Nomination Dossier (Report). Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ a b Negash, Mesele; Yirdaw, Eshetu; Luukkanen, Olavi (1 May 2012). "Potential of indigenous multistrata agroforests for maintaining native floristic diversity in the south-eastern Rift Valley escarpment, Ethiopia". Agroforestry Systems. 85 (1): 9–28. doi:10.1007/s10457-011-9408-1.