Editing IPCC:AR6/SRCCL/Chapter-3 (section)

==== 3.7.3.2 Ethiopia ====

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The two invasive plants that inflict the heaviest damage to ecosystems, especially biodiversity, are the annual herbaceous weed, ''Parthenium hysterophorus'' ( ''Asteraceae'' ) also known as Congress weed; and the tree species, ''Prosopis juliflora (Fabaceae'' ) also called Mesquite, both originating from the southwestern United States to Central/South America (Adkins and Shabbir 2014 <sup>[[#fn:r1630|1630]]</sup> ). ''Prosopis'' was introduced in the 1970s and has since spread rapidly. ''Prosopis'' , classified as the highest priority invader in Ethiopia, is threatening livestock production and challenging the sustainability of the pastoral systems. ''Parthenium'' is believed to have been introduced along with relief aid during the debilitating droughts of the early 1980s, and a recent study reported that it has spread into 32 out of 34 districts in Tigray, the northernmost region of Ethiopia (Teka 2016 <sup>[[#fn:r1631|1631]]</sup> ). A study by Etana et al. (2011) indicated that Parthenium caused a 69% decline in the density of herbaceous species in Awash National Park within a few years of introduction. In the presence of Parthenium, the growth and development of crops is suppressed due to its allelopathic properties. McConnachie et al. (2011) estimated a 28% crop loss across the country, including a 40–90% reduction in sorghum yield in eastern Ethiopia alone (Tamado et al. 2002 <sup>[[#fn:r1632|1632]]</sup> ). The weed is a substantial agricultural and natural resource problem and constitutes a significant health hazard (Fasil 2011). Parthenium causes acute allergic respiratory problems, skin dermatitis, and reportedly mutagenicity both in humans and livestock (Mekonnen 2017; Patel 2011 <sup>[[#fn:r1633|1633]]</sup> ). The eastern belt of Africa – including Ethiopia – presents a very suitable habitat, and the weed is expected to spread further in the region in the future (Mainali et al. 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r1635|1635]]</sup> ).

There is neither a comprehensive intervention plan nor a clear institutional mandate to deal with invasive weeds, however, there are fragmented efforts involving local communities even though they are clearly inadequate. The lessons learned, related to actions that have contributed to the current scenario, are several. First, lack of coordination and awareness – mesquite was introduced by development agencies as a drought-tolerant shade tree with little consideration of its invasive nature. If research and development institutions had been aware, a containment strategy could have been implemented early on. The second major lesson is the cost of inaction. When research and development organisations did sound the alarm, the warnings went largely unheeded, resulting in the spread and buildup of two of the worst invasive plant species in the world (Fasil 2011 <sup>[[#fn:r1636|1636]]</sup> ).

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