The tabia stretches down from the foot of the Tsatsen ridge escarpment towards Giba River. It is further bound by three gorges: Gra Adiam/Bitchoqo in the east, Giba River in the south, and Zeyi River in the west. The highest peak is near the top of Tsatsen plateau and the lowest place at the confluence of Giba and Zeyi Rivers, which have a difference in elevation of nearly 1400 metres.
Geology
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:
** shallow, dry soils with very high amounts of stones
** deep, dark cracking clays with good fertility, but problems of waterlogging
** soils with stagnating water due to an abrupt textural change such as sand over clay
Climate and hydrology
Climate and meteorology
The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. Mean temperature in Da’erere is 19.3 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 10.8 °C and maximum of 27.4 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.
Rivers
The Giba River is the most important river in the surroundings of the tabia. It flows towards Tekezze River and further on to the Nile. These rivers have incised deep gorges which characterise the landscape. The drainage network of the tabia is organised as follows:
Giba River, receiving on its right bank
* Gra Adiam River, which becomes Bitchoqo River, at the border of tabias Walta and Inda Sillasie
* Zeyi River, at the border of tabiasSimret and Walta
Whereas they are dry during most of the year, during the main rainy season, these rivers carry high runoff discharges, sometimes in the form of flash floods. Especially at the begin of the rainy season they are brown-coloured, evidencing high soil erosion rates.
Springs
As there are no permanent rivers, the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the tabia are:
Kalena in Addi Ferti
May Shafa in Addi Ferti
May Ayni in Da’erere
May Tselot near Giba River
Water harvesting
In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting runoff from the rainy season for further use in the dry season.
Traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called rahaya
Horoyo, household ponds, recently constructed through campaigns
Vegetation and exclosures
The tabia holds several exclosures, areas that are set aside for regreening. Wood harvesting and livestock range are not allowed there. Besides effects on biodiversity, water infiltration, protection from flooding, sediment deposition, carbon sequestration, people commonly have economic benefits from these exclosures through grass harvesting, beekeeping and other non-timber forest products. The local inhabitants also consider it as “land set aside for future generations”. In this tabia, some exclosures are managed by the EthioTrees project. They have as an additional benefit that the villagers receive carbon credits for the sequestered CO2, as part of a carbon offset programme. The revenues are then reinvested in the villages, according to the priorities of the communities; it may be for an additional class in the village school, a water pond, conservation in the exclosures, or a store for incense. The Ziban Dakeexclosure is managed by the Ethiotrees project in Walta municipality.
Settlements
The tabia centre Da’erere holds a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school, and some small shops. There are a few more primary schools across the tabia. The main other populated places are:
Agriculture and livelihood
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by farmlands which are clearly demarcated and are cropped every year. Hence the agricultural system is a permanent upland farming system. The farmers have adapted their cropping systems to the spatio-temporal variability in rainfall. Especially the youngsters in Didiben and Nibre go to the deep gorge of Giba river to harvest incense from Boswellia papyrifera trees.
History and culture
History
The history of the tabia is strongly confounded with the history of Tembien.
Religion and churches
Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the tabia:
Its mountainous nature and relative proximity to Mekelle make the tabia fit for tourism. As compared to many other mountain areas in Ethiopia the villages are quite accessible, and during walks visitors may be invited for coffee, lunch or even for an overnight stay in a rural homestead.
Touristic attractions
Views over the gorges, including view of Zeyi Abune Aregawi church under a cliff
Anthropogenic Boswellia papyrifera landscapes and incense harvesting
Geotouristic sites
The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism".
Trekking routes
Trekking routes have been established in this tabia. The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded. GPX files.
Trek 9, from Hagere Selam to Inda Sillasie allows visiting the northern part of the tabia
Trek 8, southbound from Zeyi church and cave, crosses the southern part of the tabia to Giba River and allows visiting the slopes of the Giba gorge, with numerous incense trees
