| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Gedeo Cultural Landscape | |
| Location | Ethiopia |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii)(v) |
| Reference | 1641 |
| Inscription | 2023 (45thSession) |
| Area | 29,620 ha (114.4 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 6°14′56″N38°17′16″E / 6.24889°N 38.28778°E /6.24889; 38.28778 |
  Gedeo Cultural Landscape Location of Gedeo Cultural Landscape in Ethiopia | |
TheGedeo Cultural Landscape is a region of theGedeo Zone, part of theSouth Ethiopia Regional State in south-centralEthiopia.[1] It stretches across the eastern flank of theMain Ethiopian Rift, ranging from 1,307 to 3,072 metres (4,288 to 10,079 ft) above sea level.[2] The region is home to roughly 2,550,000Gedeo people.[1] Dotted with sacred forests and megalithic monuments, the region has been the homeland of the Gedeo people for thousands of years.[2] Traditionalagroforestry is practiced in the region by the Gedeo people. Because of these traditional practices, its long history of occupation, and the cultural importance of the region, the Gedeo Cultural Landscape was inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List in 2023.[1]
The Gedeo region has been occupied for millennia; evidence of occupation dates back to theNeolithic period.[2] Thousands of stone monuments (stelae) across roughly 100 sites have been recorded across the landscape.[3] The largest of the stelae measure about 8 meters high and 1 meter in diameter, and they depict anthropomorphic and phallic images. Several burial sites and anecropolis have also been found, and engraved petroglyphs are common.[2]
The first European archeological surveys of the area were conducted in the 1920s and 1930s.[3]
Volcanism during theMiocene andQuaternary periods and the manyalluvial rivers make the region very fertile. More than 90% of the land area of Gedeo Zone is covered in agroforestry, withenset andcoffee being the main agricultural products.[2] The farms are vertically stratified, with the enset and coffee plants grown underneath mature native trees. Root vegetables like cassava and legumes are grown underneath the main cash crops.[2] To avoid the negative effects of erosion on the step landscape, almost no tilling is employed, and the farms often rotate where they farm, allowing some areas to remainfallow.[2]
The cultural knowledge of how to manage and conserve the agroforestry system stems from the customs and beliefs of the Gedeo people, leading to a mutualistic human-environmental relationship.[4] The area contains several sacred forests from which harvest is prohibited.[1]
Fifty different species of native woody plants have been found within these traditional farms, 22 of which are of particular conservation concern.[5] The most common native plants areMillettia andCordia africana, and theAfrican cherry also grows within these forests.[5]
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