Abstract
This study investigated the critical economic consequences of anthropogenic environmental stressors in the Makuey District of the Gambella Region, Ethiopia. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the research sampled 394 households to evaluate the drivers and impacts of local ecological crises comprehensively. Descriptive findings identified overgrazing (30.9%), deforestation (25.4%), and land degradation (23.4%) as the most pervasive threats to the regional economy. Beyond these descriptive frequencies, inferential statistical analysis was employed to determine the causal weight of these stressors. One-way ANOVA testing revealed significant differences in economic shocks across disaster types [F (3, 390) = 10.50, p < 0.0001], confirming that anthropogenic activities exert non-random, varying levels of financial strain on households. Furthermore, Multiple Linear Regression confirmed that environmental variables explain 70% of the variance (R2 = 0.70) in household economic status. Among the predictors, overgrazing (β= 0.50, p < 0.001) and poor irrigation management (β= 0.45, p < 0.001) emerged as the strongest statistically significant drivers of declining productivity. These results highlight a critical mismatch between traditional survival strategies and ecological carrying capacities. Ultimately, the study advocates for a regional policy shift from reactive disaster relief to proactive environmental governance, targeting root human causes to safeguard livelihoods and foster economic resilience in the Gambella periphery.