Figure 7 : Livestock grazing inside the park (Photo by Yacob Kassa, 2018)
Deforestation in the park illegally occurred by the local community for their basic needs. The Park is surrounded by intensive agricultural activities and increasing human settlements, which have been evidenced by already cleared trees in and/or surrounding the Park area (Figure 8 and 9). A large amount of fuelwood in the park is collected by inhabitants that illegally exist in the park. Another cause for cutting trees from the park is the need for wood of small canoes required to practice the lakes for fishing and shipping. The loss of indigenous vegetation in the park is also caused by livestock grazing needs. As the human population increases, so do the livestock populations nearby the park. With less and less land available for grazing, local pastoralists are taking their cattle into the National Park for fodder.
Arba Minch town shares an immediate border of about 15 km with Nech Sar National Park. The discussion made with the discussants revealed that fuelwood collection is also being considered as the major source of livelihood for many inhabitants of the city. People from neighboring districts are also believed to come to Arba Minch city to be engaged in fuelwood collection as a source of additional income generation and means of livelihood.