ABUNDANCE AND ETHNOMEDICINAL USE OF TREE AND SHRUB SPECIES IN AZAZA AND MOKLA FORESTS IN THE BLUE NILE STATE, SUDAN

Abstract

Documentation of medicinal plants utilization as an important non-timber forest resources are essential for their restoration and preservation. The present research aims to study the abundance of trees and shrubs in Azaza and Mokla forest in the Blue Nile state and to document their traditional use by two communities of Falata tribe living in the same locality. Field surveys were conducted during the period July-November in 2016 and 2017 following timed-meander survey method. Abundant, frequent, occasional, infrequent, and rare species were estimated. Ethnomedicinal data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires. Documentation was taken from a total of 43 informants. 23 informants from Flata Willa in Amara Seraifa village which is located about 30 Km north of Roseires dam and 20 informants from Falata Odda who are displaced by the dam lake and now resettled in City3 which located south east of the dam lake. A total of 28 medicinal trees and shrubs were identified in the studied forests. The most utilized plant families were leguminosae followed by Malvaceae Apocynaceae, and Zygophyllaceae. The highest proportion of the medicinal plants are trees (68%) and the common treated diseases are stomach pain, respiratory inflammation, haemorrhoid, heart pain, uteritis, anemia, kidney disease, and dysentery. The study recommended further pharmacological and phytochemical research to study the efficiency of these plants to cure the diseases as well as sustainable management approach and proper conservation strategy to be integrated into forest management planning and activities for protection of the studied forests. \nKEYWORDS: Ethnomedicine; plants; forest; Blue Nile; Sudan