Projects

Modelled rainfall distribution in tropical mountains – a case in Ethiopia, incorporating response of vegetation and hydrology

Topoclimate, and more precisely orographic rains on windward slopes and leeward rain shadow, controls the spatiotemporal variability of rainfall, vegetation, and hydrology in tropical mountains. Such …

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Humanitarian situation in the Tigray War

In view of its longstanding research in the Tigray region , the Physical Geography research group shares the plight of the local communities, often partners in our research since decades. In this proj…

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Schools as hotspots for safe water and improved sanitation (Dogu’a Tembien, North Ethiopia)

In Northern Ethiopia, safe water and improved sanitation facilities generally lacking, especially in rural areas. In order to improve both the water and sanitation infrastructure, as well as to improv…

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Study on Formation Mechanism of Mountain Torrent in Kunlun Mountain Area under Mixed Rainfall and Ice

This project includes four main parts: field investigation, data collection, assessment of desertification process and its driving mechanism research. Datasets of vegetation, climate, soil and land-us…

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Building Land Resilience in NW Ethiopia

The Land Resilience project is part of the larger VLIR IUC institutional cooperation with Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia, and aims at improving the resilience of the land in the framework of buildin…

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FASCINation

The objective of the FASCINation project is to strengthen collaboration and exchange expertise between the Department of Geography , the UFR de Géographie et Aménagement and the Earth and Life Instit…

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Valorization of ecosystem services from exclosures in the Tembien Highlands (Ethiopia)

Forest cover is key to tackle land degradation in relation to climate change. North Ethiopian exclosures deliver ecosystem services such as increased groundwater and carbon, and can deliver non-timber…

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Systemic analysis of dam-driven transitions of downstream alluvial plains in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, many big dams are constructed to increasingly provide electricity and irrigation agriculture for its population . These dams have very important implications for the downstream alluvial p…

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Graben: Integrated geographical research for sustainable land management in the closed basins along the Rift Valley in northern Ethiopia

The project concerns a major development corridor of Ethiopia, the closed basins at the interface between the Highlands and the Rift Valley. Such basins are sensitive to environmental changes on the s…

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Ghent-Lille geomorphological investigations: hydrogeomorphology in the Aa river basin

The GeLiGeo project is a research cooperation between the Physical Geography group of Ghent University and the UFR de Géographie et Aménagement of the University Lille I . The Aa valley has been selec…

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Rapid land use and cover changes and the hydrogeomorphic impact in rural western Shoa, as driven by the proximity of Addis Ababa city (Ethiopia)

Addis Ababa is one of the largest cities in Africa South of the Sahara, and is growing rapidly both in terms of population and economic activity. To support the urban demands, the rural hinterland of …

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Talus slope geomorphology as impacted by permafrost thaw (Valais, Switzerland)

Talus slopes are one of the most common landform in high mountain environments and an important debris storage. Therefore, they're often subjected to geomorphological processes, such as different type…

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Strongbow: Environmental changes in Southern Ethiopia

The expansion of agriculture at the expense of natural forest may not be a problem if the agricultural land use system is implemented in sustainable way, however such is not the case in the Bench Maji…

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Water and sediment budgets of Lake Tana for optimisation of land management and water allocation (Wase-Tana)

This project, in northwest Ethiopia, will increase the understanding of hydrology and sediment in order to develop tools and strategies that would contribute to proper planning and management of land…

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Geomorphological mapping, land degradation and resilience in the western Balkans

In terms of landforms, the western Balkan shows a great variability, ranging from sand and rock coasts , karst plateaus, large poljes, high mountains holding a glacial imprint, canyons, and more. In …

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Land degradation and resilience in natural and renatured areas in north-west Europe

The research group on Physical Geography at Ghent University carries out research on land degradation and particularly resilience in natural and renatured areas in north-west Europe. This includes a w…

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Environmental changes in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands since the late 19th century

The research group on Physical Geography at Ghent University carries out research on medium- and long-term environmental changes in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands, upper Tekezze basin. This involves…

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