TITLE:
Diversity and Regeneration Status of Woody Species: The Case of Keja Araba and Tula Forests, South West Ethiopia
AUTHORS:
Getahun Yakob, Anteneh Fekadu
KEYWORDS:
Natural Forest, Woody Species, Basal Area, IVI, Conservation, Socio-Economic Importance
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.3 No.4,
April
26,
2016
ABSTRACT: Deforestation and habitat fragmentation are the major environmental
concerns in southwest Ethiopia. Understanding woody species diversity and
socio-economic factors causing destruction of natural forests is crucial in the
management of the remnant forest ecosystems. However, the forest in south west
Ethiopia is poorly studied. This paper examines the diversity, regeneration
status, socio-economic importance of the forests in Kaja Araba and Tula
forests, southwestern Ethiopia. A systematic sampling strategy was used to
collect vegetation data from the natural forests, while Participatory Rural
Appraisal (PRA) method was employed to generate the socio-economic data. A total
of 60 square plots (30 for each forests measuring 10 m × 10 m) were established
along line transects laid across the forests. Primary data were collected by
field observation, semi-structured interview with key informants and discussion
with relevant stakeholders. A total 51 woody species representing 25 families
were found in the study area and of all the species 30 (59%) were trees, 18
(35%) trees/shrubs, and 3 (6%) shrubs. The most species rich families were
Rubiaceae, Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae. The Shannon diversity and
evenness of woody species in Keja Araba forest are 2.81 and 0.79, respectively
and in Tula forest they are 3.14 and 0.86, respectively. Millettia ferruginea is the most frequent and abundant species at Keja Araba natural forest,
while Vepris dainellii and Phoenix reclinata are the most frequent and
abundant woody species at Tula natural forest, respectively. The total basal
area of woody species in Keja Araba forest is 2612 m2·ha﹣1 and in Tula forest the value is 3751 m2·ha﹣1. In Keja Araba
forest, the species with the highest IVI value are Sapium ellipticum, and in
Tula forest it is Schefflera abyssinica. The results on the importance
value index (IVI) and DBH class distributions show that the species with low
IVI value and poor regeneration status need to be prioritized for conservation.
Data collected from the key informants reveal that the forest is the major
sources of fuel wood (94%), forest coffee and spices (80%), construction
material (78%), timber (60%) and farm implements (58%). The forests are also
sources of medicines, animal fodder, bee forage, handles tools and household
utensils. Anthropogenic factors such as expansion of agricultural land, fuel
wood collection, charcoal making, land use change by investors and settlements
of people are responsible for destruction of natural forest in the study area,
in descending order of severity. Thus, it is important to give conservation
priority to the last Afromontane forest remnants in southwestern Ethiopia to
achieve sustainable utilization of the forest ecosystems.