Hayal Desta is an assistant professor of Environmental Planning at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and currently works at the EiABC institute in the Environmental Planning Competence Center. He holds a BSc in Biology, an MSc in Environmental Science, and a PhD in Environmental Planning. In his teaching and research, he focuses primarily on land and water resources management, watershed management, urban ecology, and urban environmental problems. His various publications address the sustainable use and management of natural resources, with a particular emphasis on aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. He is also interested in how local communities perceive and interact with natural resources within the context of sustainable utilization. Hayal’s current works explore the effects of anthropogenic-induced land and water deterioration in lake and watershed areas involving different stakeholders; farmers’ perceptual and attitudinal dimensions of watershed management; land use/ land cover change detection; and model-based simulation to examine spatio-temporal hydrological processes and sediment load changes in the Ethiopian Central Rift Valley region, specifically Lake Ziway and its watershed areas. At the Rachel Carson Center, he will be working on his project “Scrutiny of Integrated Land and Water Use Management Scenario in Lake Ziway Watershed with Main Unit of Analysis on Lake Ziway.”
RCC Research Project: Scrutiny of Integrated Land and Water Use Management Scenario in Lake Ziway Watershed with Main Unit of Analysis on Lake Ziway
Lunchtime Colloquium Video - Land and Water Uses in Ethiopia: Challenges for Sustainability
Selected Publications:
- with Brook Lemma. “Review of the Natural Conditions and Anthropogenic Threats to the Ethiopian Rift Valley Rivers and Lakes.” Lakes and Reservoirs: Research and Management 21, no. 2 (2016): 133–51.
- with Brook Lemma, Gerhard Albert, and Till Stellmacher. “Degradation of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia: A Study of the Environmental Perceptions of School Students.” Lakes and Reservoirs: Research and Management 20, no. 4 (2015): 243–55.
- with Brook Lemma and Aramde Fetene. “Aspects of Climate Change and Its Associated Impacts on Wetland Ecosystem Functions—A Review.” Journal of American Science 8, no. 10 (2012): 582–96.
- with Hailu Worku and Aramde Fetene. “Assessment of the Contemporary Municipal Solid Waste Management in Urban Environment: The Case of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.” Journal of Environmental Science & Technology 7, no. 2 (2014): 107–22.
- with Aramde Fetene and Kumlachew Yeshitela. “Approaches to Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity—A Review.” Nature and Science 10, no. 12 (2012): 51–62.
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with Seyoum Mengistou. “Water Quality Parameters and Macroinvertebrates Index of Biotic Integrity of the Jimma Wetlands, Southwestern Ethiopia.” Journal of Wetlands Ecology 3 (2009): 77–93. Doi: 10.3126/jowe.v3i0.2265.