Deforestation and Environmental Impacts in Ethiopia (2001–2022): A Spatial and Temporal Perspective

Maintaining forest ecosystems is critical for climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, and the socio-economic stability of agrarian societies such as Ethiopia. This study presents a spatiotemporal analysis of deforestation and its biophysical feedbacks across Ethiopia from 2001 to 2022. The methodology integrates the Hansen Global Forest Change dataset, Global Forest Watch carbon flux data, and MODIS/CHIRPS environmental products within the Google Earth Engine platform, validated by a 1,000-point accuracy assessment. Over the 22-year study period, the nation recorded a total reduction of 718,351 hectares of forest cover, peaking in 2014. The Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' (SNNP), and Benishangul-Gumuz regions experienced the greatest extent of forest loss. In these regions, deforestation correlated positively with rapid population growth and the expansion of key agricultural commodities, specifically wheat, maize, and coffee. Topographic analysis indicates an upward altitudinal shift in deforestation, reaching a peak mean altitude of 1,924 meters and expanding onto steeper slopes. These land-cover changes coincide with spatially heterogeneous environmental shifts; in the southeastern highlands, deforestation corresponded with land surface warming, whereas in the western humid lowlands, clearing coincided with substantial increases in evapotranspiration without immediate thermal anomalies. Additionally, forest-related activities contributed approximately 222.38 million Mg of CO2 emissions, with the Oromia region identified as the primary contributor. These findings indicate that evidence-based conservation strategies, alternative energy adoption, and sustainable land management are necessary to mitigate further forest loss and ensure long-term ecological resilience.