The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of farmland encroachment into the wetlands of Lake Abaya, Southern Ethiopia. The study used survey research design and mixed research approaches to conduct the research. To collect data for the research both primary and secondary data were used. For the questionnaire survey, 138 sample was selected using systematic sampling technique and 18 key informants from different social and age groups were selected to conduct group discussion. In the analysis of research data both qualitative and quantitative techniques, and geographic information system were utilized. The study finding showed that in the last thirty years (1990-2020) a sizeable portion of wetland and forest lands were converted into farmland and settlements. Furthermore, development of soil salinity, lake water inundation, farmland encroachment and loss of wetland biodiversity are major environmental constraints in the study area. Considering wetlands as wasteland (42.5%), absence of accountable institutions (31.2%) and absence of standalone wetland policies (19.6%) are the main challenges of wetland. The study recommends that there is a need for coordinated institutional effort, standalone wetland policies and well-informed community to rehabilitate increasingly degraded wetlands in the study area.

Keywords: Soil salinity, water hyacinth, land use/cover change, demographic pressure, Geographic Information System