This species is spreading at an alarming rate into best grazing areas. Out of the exotic tree species Prosopis juliflora is currently spreading and encroaching the grazing lands of SNRS and is causing severe negative impacts on the production and productivity of rangelands. The uncontrolled browsing of trees and shrubs is another aspect of overgrazing and a patent cause of deforestation, leading to flooding and siltation in adjacent areas because rains are no longer held back by the sponge effect of the trees and carry with them large loads of eroded soil. Overgrazing results when livestock density becomes excessive and too many animals are grazed at the same area of rangeland, leading to degradation of vegetation and the compaction and erosion of the soil. Livestock density and grazing patterns lead to overgrazing, which is one of the major causes of land degradation.
Major causes of degradation include climatic conditions, causing drought and arid conditions, and human factors, leading to the overuse of natural resources. Major reduction in the quantity and nutritional quality of the vegetation available for grazing in the rangelands as well as expansion of localized deserts and barren areas are indicated. Rangeland degradation is the most serious challenge for pastoral livelihood in Somali Region. The rangelands in the south of the SNRS are occupied mainly by Somali pastoralists who rear mixed herds of camels, sheep, goats and a few cattle. This makes rangeland utilization by livestock, the largest land-use system in the country. The area of SNRS is estimated at 340,000 km2. The Somali National Regional State (SNRS) occupies a large geographical area in the eastern and southeastern part of Ethiopia.
The arid and semi-arid agro-ecological area of Ethiopia cover more than 62% of the total land area.
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