Addis Ababa is one of the largest cities in Africa South of the Sahara, and is growing rapidly both in terms of population and economic activity. To support the urban demands, the rural hinterland of West-Shoa, located 45 km from Addis Ababa, has undergone rapid and often dramatic land use and cover modifications over the past decades. Especially, eucalyptus trees have been massively introduced, covering 20-60% of the catchments. The general objective of this VLIR South Initiative is, therefore, to understand land use and cover (LUC) dynamics in the rural hinterland of Addis Ababa, and to quantify its impact on the hydrogeomorphology of small hilly catchments. By doing so, the capacity of the Department of Natural Resources Management at Ambo University will be enhanced, including its capacity to outreach research findings to the community and to stakeholders.