 Commercial agricultural activity in Amibara began before the Italian invasion, when a German-Ethiopian named David Hall operated a farm at Melka Were.A local tradition is that a foreigner in this woreda introduced the invasive species "Prosopis juliflora" to the Afar Region in 1988.Although the original intent was to combat erosion, the species has come to dominate at least 15 square kilometers of land in Amibara, endangering 11 species of trees, 6 shrubs, and 6 grass, all of which the local pastoralists, as well as native wildlife, depend on.