Jan Nyssen

Jan Nyssen (born Sint-Martens-Voeren, 1957) is a Belgian physical geographer, and professor of geography at Ghent University.

Jan Nyssen
Born (1957-08-02) August 2, 1957
Sint-Martens-Voeren
NationalityBelgian
Alma materUniversity of Liège
KU Leuven
Scientific career
FieldsGeography, Geomorphology
InstitutionsUGent

Biography

Nyssen was employed as a mailman (1977-1997) in Liège (Belgium). Starting 1991, he did a parallel study of Geography at the University of Liège; he obtained the degree of Licentiate in Geography in 1995, with a dissertation on soil erosion in Ethiopia.[1] Between 1998 and 2001 he carried out PhD research at KU Leuven University (Belgium), in which he investigated the role of human and natural processes in land degradation in the Ethiopian highlands. Promoters of this research were professors Jean Poesen, Seppe Deckers (both at KU Leuven), Jan Moeyersons (Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren) and Mitiku Haile (Mekelle University in Ethiopia). He worked also several years in projects of university development cooperation in Ethiopia.[2] Since 2007 he is professor at the Department of Geography of Ghent University; in 2014 he was appointed as Full Professor.

Reseach

His research contributes to the identification and quantification of changes in the coupled system “humans-environment” – with focus on slope processes, hydrogeomorphology, land degradation and soil conservation. Most of his research activities are in Ethiopia.

Soil erosion in the Ethiopian highlands

Nyssen’s research showed that high levels of soil loss in the Ethiopian highlands are caused by a combination of erosive rainfall, steep slopes (as a consequence of rapid tectonic uplift during Pliocene and Pleistocene), and impacts of deforestation, overgrazing, an agricultural system where the open-field system dominates, and the aftermath of povery induced by the feudalism. He further studied in the Ethiopian highlands how the high density of soil and water conservation structures led to land resilience.[3] Through the use of rephotography, Prof. Nyssen could link up changes in Ethiopian landscapes with land degradation.[4]

Integration with the local population

In all this, he strongly values indigenous knowledge, as he observed that Ethiopian farmers plough the same lands and hills since thousands of years with their oxen plough. They know their soils and know when rains will come or what they have to plant if rains are late.[5][6][7]

Through the years, he lived the many changes that occurred; since his first stay in 1994, he observed that the amount of food available to rural households, as well as the overall living standard has strongly improved.[3][8]

Lynchets and beaver dams

Nyssen’s research in Belgium is also related to the consequences of human activities on geomorphic processes: the reintroduction of beavers, spoil tips of the derelict coal mining industry, and the age-old agriculture in the Pays de Herve (the region where he was born), which led to the occurrence of lynchets or cultivation terraces, by analogy to a common practice in current Ethiopia;[9] The beaver dams have drawn his attention because they contribute to conserving water in the rivers’ headwaters. He studied their effect on discharges of the Chevral creek, that is part of the Ourthe basin. The research confirmed that such dams have a buffering effect on discharges: downstream the peak discharges are much lower that what was observed before beaver reintroduction.[10]

Teaching

Nyssen lectures Geomorphology, Hydrology, Microclimatology, and Regional Geomorphology for students in Geography and Physical Land Resources at UGent. He promoted dozens of Master and PhD theses, particularly at Ugent (Belgium), KU Leuven (Belgium), Mekelle University (Ethiopia) and Bahir Dar University (Ethiopia).

Functions outside Ghent University
  • 2017-2021: President of the Belgian Association of Geomorphologists [11]
  • 2019-2020: Editor-in-Chief of professional journal Land Degradation and Development[12]
Announcement of Nyssen's book in Ethiopia

Publications

Books
Invitation for local Siwa (beer) by a farmer in Tigray
  • (2019) Geo-trekking in Ethiopia’s Tropical Mountains – The Dogu’a Tembien district[13]
  • (2016) In Tigrinya: ካብ ሓረስቶት ደጉዓ ተምቤን እንታይ ንስምዕ? (What do we hear from the farmers in Dogu'a Tembien)[7]

Articles in international scientific journals

2020

Red-black soil catena near Hagere Selam

2019

2018

  • Persistence and changes in the peripheral Beles basin of Ethiopia[16]

2017

  • Boulder-Faced Log Dams as an Alternative for Gabion Check Dams in First-Order Ephemeral Streams with Coarse Bed Load in Ethiopia[17]
  • Geographical determinants of inorganic fertiliser sales and of resale prices in north Ethiopia[18]

2016

  • Recovery of the aerial photographs of Ethiopia in the 1930s[19]
  • Grèzes litées and their genesis: the site of Enscherange in the Rhenish-Ardennes Massif as a case study[20]

2015

  • Environmental Conservation for Food Production and Sustainable Livelihood in Tropical Africa[21]
  • Land Management in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands: Local and Global Perspectives; Past, Present and Future[3]

2014

  • Environmental conditions and human drivers for changes to north Ethiopian mountain landscapes over 145 years[22]
  • Twentieth century land resilience in Montenegro and consequent hydrological response[23]
  • Lynchets in eastern Belgium — a geomorphic feature resulting from non-mechanised crop farming[9]

2012

  • Belgium's burning coal tips – coupling thermographic ASTER imagery with topography to map debris slide susceptibility[24]

2011

Beaver dam

2010

  • Digital Photographic Archives for Environmental and Historical Studies: An Example from Ethiopia[26]
  • Slope aspect affects geomorphic dynamics of coal mining spoil heaps in Belgium[27]
Petite Bacnure spoil heap in Herstal, Belgium
  • Impact of soil and water conservation measures on catchment hydrological response—a case in north Ethiopia[28]

2009

  • Desertification? Northern Ethiopia re-photographed after 140 years[29]
  • Transhumance in the Tigray Highlands (Ethiopia) [30]
  • How soil conservation affects the catchment sediment budget – a comprehensive study in the north Ethiopian highlands[31]
  • Effects of land use and land cover on sheet and rill erosion rates in the Tigray highlands, Ethiopia[32]
  • An upland farming system under transformation: Proximate causes of land use change in Bela-Welleh catchment (Wag, Northern Ethiopian Highlands)[33]
  • Land degradation and soil and water conservation in tropical highlands[34]

2008

  • Spatial and temporal variation of soil organic carbon stocks in a lake retreat area of the Ethiopian Rift Valley[35]
Lake Abijata (right), Ethiopia
  • Effects of region-wide soil and water conservation in semi-arid areas: the case of northern Ethiopia[36]
  • Environmental change, geomorphic processes and land degradation in tropical highlands[37]
  • Dynamics of soil erosion rates and controlling factors in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands – towards a sediment budget[38]
  • Soils and land use in the Tigray highlands (Northern Ethiopia)[6]

2007

2006

  • Processes and rates of rock fragment displacement on cliffs and scree slopes in an amba landscape, Ethiopia[40]
  • Comment on “Modelling the effect of soil and water conservation practices in Tigray, Ethiopia” [41]
  • Assessment of gully erosion rates through interviews and measurements: a case study from northern Ethiopia[42]

2005

  • Rainfall erosivity and variability in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands[43]

2004

2002

  • Spatial distribution of rock fragments in cultivated soils in northern Ethiopia as affected by lateral and vertical displacement processes[47]
  • Impact of road building on gully erosion risk: a case study from the Northern Ethiopian Highlands[48]
  • The environmental significance of the remobilisation of ancient mass movements in the Atbara–Tekeze headwaters, Northern Ethiopia[49]

2001

  • Removal of rock fragments and its effect on soil loss and crop yield, Tigray, Ethiopia[50]

2000

  • Soil and water conservation in Tigray (Northern Ethiopia): the traditional daget technique and its integration with introduced techniques[51]
  • Vertic movements and the developments of stone covers and gullies, Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia[52]
  • Tillage erosion on slopes with soil conservation structures in the Ethiopian highlands[53]
Ploughing in Tigray, Ethiopia

Others

Nyssen also contributed to many other publications as co-author – see UGent’s academic bibliography[54]

Involvement for and with society

Nyssen’s interest in Geography "was mainly motivated by the willingness to contribute to solving issues of unequal development worldwide”.[55] His current research is related to land degradation and land rehabilitation. For instance, in Ethiopia he monitored how large tracts of land could be restored thanks to the conservation activities of millions of farmers. With colleagues, he also supports reforestation projects, leading to a yearly 10,000 tonnes of additional carbon storage.[55]

Starting point are the consequences of climate change for the inhabitants of developing countries, such as Ethiopia: increases in rainfall are linked to climate change. Yet, as rain is highly seasonal (most of the rains fall within two months time), additional rain in the rainy season also leads to floodings and catastrophes.[56]

Nyssen also stresses the social context of global warming, inasmuch as authorities stimulate unnecessary energy consumption such as tax-free company cars or non-taxation of kerosene; they also make airport expansion plans.[55] He stated that:

Finally, one gets the feeling that ‘Big Oil’ lobby is so strong, can we have an impact at all? (…) Society should switch from fossil-fuel based growth to socially-adapted green shrinking, which is possible if the economy does not need to sustain corporate greed. [55]

Also in Ethiopia, he continues to support the population of the villages where he stays several weeks a year,[57] among others through projects for water and ecological sanitation as well as carbon sequestration in soils. This resulted also in a book in the local Tigrinya language.[7]

Links with climate change and the situation in his home country are common; Nyssen stressed in 2019 in a video message in the framework of the “We Change for Life” campaign, that the inhabitants of 9 small villages in their projects in Ethiopia could annually sequester about half the carbon volume [58] as compared to what the whole Flemish region in Belgium could reach as reduction of carbon emissions (that was a meagre 2.5% of the objectives).[59]

Nyssen is also involved in favour of public footpaths in the area of Vottem, Herstal and Liège in Belgium.[60]


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References
  1. Foreword I of “Geotrekking in Ethiopia’s Tropical Mountains” (Mitiku Haile) https://rd.springer.com/content/pdf/bfm%3A978-3-030-04955-3%2F1.pdf
  2. Foreword II (Hans Hurni) “Geotrekking in Ethiopia’s Tropical Mountains” https://rd.springer.com/content/pdf/bfm%3A978-3-030-04955-3%2F1.pdf
  3. Land Management in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands: Local and Global Perspectives; Past, Present and Future
  4. Humans Greening a Landscape https://science.sciencemag.org/content/341/6145/485
  5. Ethiopië boert goed, maar kiest helaas opnieuw voor extensieve landbouw https://www.mo.be/analyse/helaas-kiest-men-opnieuw-voor-extensieve-landbouw-in-ethiopie
  6. Soils and land use in the Tigray highlands (Northern Ethiopia)
  7. ካብ ሓረስቶት ደጉዓ ተምቤን እንታይ ንስምዕ? What do we hear from the farmers in Dogu'a Tembien? [in Tigrinya] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309669762_What_do_we_hear_from_the_farmers_in_Dogu%27a_Tembien_in_Tigrigna
  8. In 1984 stierven in Ethiopië 400.000 mensen. Dreigt er nu een herhaling? https://www.rd.nl/vandaag/buitenland/in-1984-stierven-in-ethiopi%C3%AB-400-000-mensen-dreigt-er-nu-een-herhaling-1.521004
  9. Lynchets in eastern Belgium — a geomorphic feature resulting from non-mechanised crop farming
  10. Effect of beaver dams on the hydrology of small mountain streams: Example from the Chevral in the Ourthe Orientale basin, Ardennes, Belgium
  11. Activity report of the Belgian Association of Geomorphologists(2017-2018)
  12. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/1099145x/homepage/editorialboard.html?=#SectionEditors
  13. Geo-trekking in Ethiopia’s Tropical Mountains https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030049546
  14. The Zeyi Cave Geosite in Northern Ethiopia
  15. Nyssen, Jan; Tielens, Sander; Gebreyohannes, Tesfamichael; Araya, Tigist; Teka, Kassa; Van De Wauw, Johan; Degeyndt, Karen; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Amare, Kassa; Haile, Mitiku; Zenebe, Amanuel; Munro, Neil; Walraevens, Kristine; Gebrehiwot, Kindeya; Poesen, Jean; Frankl, Amaury; Tsegay, Alemtsehay; Deckers, Jozef (2019). "Understanding spatial patterns of soils for sustainable agriculture in northern Ethiopia's tropical mountains". PLOS ONE. 14 (10): e0224041. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224041. PMC 6804989. PMID 31639144.
  16. Persistence and changes in the peripheral Beles basin of Ethiopia
  17. Boulder-Faced Log Dams as an Alternative for Gabion Check Dams in First-Order Ephemeral Streams with Coarse Bed Load in Ethiopia
  18. Geographical determinants of inorganic fertiliser sales and of resale prices in north Ethiopia
  19. Recovery of the aerial photographs of Ethiopia in the 1930s
  20. Grèzes litées and their genesis: the site of Enscherange in the Rhenish-Ardennes Massif as a case study
  21. Environmental Conservation for Food Production and Sustainable Livelihood in Tropical Africa
  22. Environmental conditions and human drivers for changes to north Ethiopian mountain landscapes over 145 years
  23. Twentieth century land resilience in Montenegro and consequent hydrological response
  24. Belgium's burning coal tips – coupling thermographic ASTER imagery with topography to map debris slide susceptibility
  25. The use of the marasha ard plough for conservation agriculture in Northern Ethiopia
  26. Digital Photographic Archives for Environmental and Historical Studies: An Example from Ethiopia
  27. Slope aspect affects geomorphic dynamics of coal mining spoil heaps in Belgium
  28. Impact of soil and water conservation measures on catchment hydrological response—a case in north Ethiopia
  29. Desertification? Northern Ethiopia re-photographed after 140 years
  30. Nyssen, Jan; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Zenebe, Amanuel; Poesen, Jean; Deckers, Jozef; Haile, Mitiku (2009). "Transhumance in the Tigray highlands (Ethiopia)". Mountain Research and Development. 29 (3): 255–264. doi:10.1659/mrd.00033.
  31. How soil conservation affects the catchment sediment budget – a comprehensive study in the north Ethiopian highlands
  32. Effects of land use and land cover on sheet and rill erosion rates in the Tigray highlands, Ethiopia
  33. An upland farming system under transformation: Proximate causes of land use change in Bela-Welleh catchment (Wag, Northern Ethiopian Highlands)
  34. Land degradation and soil and water conservation in tropical highlands
  35. Spatial and temporal variation of soil organic carbon stocks in a lake retreat area of the Ethiopian Rift Valley
  36. Effects of region-wide soil and water conservation in semi-arid areas: the case of northern Ethiopia
  37. Environmental change, geomorphic processes and land degradation in tropical highlands
  38. Dynamics of soil erosion rates and controlling factors in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands – towards a sediment budget
  39. Nyssen, Jan; Poesen, Jean; Gebremichael, Desta; Vancampenhout, Karen; d'Aes, Margo; Yihdego, Gebremedhin; Govers, Gerard; Leirs, Herwig; Moeyersons, Jan; Naudts, Jozef; Haregeweyn, Nigussie; Haile, Mitiku; Deckers, Jozef (2007). "Interdisciplinary on-site evaluation of stone bunds to control soil erosion on cropland in Northern Ethiopia". Soil and Tillage Research. 94 (1): 151–163. doi:10.1016/j.still.2006.07.011. hdl:1854/LU-378900.
  40. Processes and rates of rock fragment displacement on cliffs and scree slopes in an amba landscape, Ethiopia
  41. Comment on “Modelling the effect of soil and water conservation practices in Tigray, Ethiopia” Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 105 (2005) 29–40
  42. Assessment of gully erosion rates through interviews and measurements: a case study from northern Ethiopia
  43. Rainfall erosivity and variability in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands
  44. Nyssen, Jan; Poesen, Jean; Moeyersons, Jan; Deckers, Jozef; Haile, Mitiku; Lang, Andreas (2004). "Human impact on the environment in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands - a state of the art". Earth-Science Reviews. 64 (3–4): 273–320. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(03)00078-3.
  45. Environmental policy in Ethiopia: a rejoinder to Keeley and Scoones
  46. Nyssen, J.; Veyret-Picot, M.; Poesen, J.; Moeyersons, J.; Haile, Mitiku; Deckers, J.; Govers, G. (2004). "The effectiveness of loose rock check dams for gully control in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia". Soil Use and Management. 20: 55–64. doi:10.1111/j.1475-2743.2004.tb00337.x.
  47. Spatial distribution of rock fragments in cultivated soils in northern Ethiopia as affected by lateral and vertical displacement processes
  48. Impact of road building on gully erosion risk: a case study from the Northern Ethiopian Highlands
  49. The environmental significance of the remobilisation of ancient mass movements in the Atbara–Tekeze headwaters, Northern Ethiopia
  50. Removal of rock fragments and its effect on soil loss and crop yield, Tigray, Ethiopia
  51. Soil and water conservation in Tigray (Northern Ethiopia): the traditional daget technique and its integration with introduced techniques
  52. Vertic movements and the developments of stone covers and gullies, Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia
  53. Tillage erosion on slopes with soil conservation structures in the Ethiopian highlands
  54. https://biblio.ugent.be/person/802000198480
  55. Testimony for #WeChangeForLife https://wechangeforlife.org/2019/04/24/jan-nyssen-full-professor/
  56. “Vergroening in de Sahel is onbetwist” https://radio1.be/afrikaanse-klimaatvluchtelingen-zullen-massaal-komen-maar-klopt-dat-wel
  57. Bezoekje van de proffen https://laurensinethiopia.wordpress.com/2016/08/23/bezoekje-van-de-proffen/
  58. Videoboodschap in het kader van de campagne #WeChangeForLife https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKxy1eN5uKE&feature=youtu.be
  59. Voortgangsrapport 2016-2017, Vlaams Klimaatbeleidsplan 2013-2020 (Tabel 3-1) https://www.lne.be/sites/default/files/atoms/files/VORA2016-2017_Mitigatie.pdf
  60. François Fornieri, the Liège boss of Mithra, appropriates public trails! (26/6/2020) https://world-today-news.com/francois-fornieri-the-liege-boss-of-mithra-appropriates-public-trails/
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2019–2020		 Succeeded by
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