Tamrat Bekele

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana Angetu District, southeastern Ethiopia

This study documents indigenous medicinal plant utilization, management and the threats affecting them. The study was carried out in Mana Angetu district between January 2003 and December 2004. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi structured interviews, field observations, preference and direct matrix ranking with traditional medicine practitioners. The ethnomedicinal use of 230 plant species was documented in the study area. Most of the plants (78.7%) were reportedly used to treat human diseases. The most frequently used plant part were roots (33.9%), followed by leaves (25.6%). Most of the medicinal species (90.4%) were collected from the wild. Direct matrix analysis showed that Olea europaea L. Subsp. cuspidata (Wall. ex G. Don) was the most important species followed by Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne (120) indicating high utility value of these species for the local community. The principal threatening factors reported were deforestation (90%), agricultural expansion (85%) and fire (53%). Documenting the eroding plants and associated indigenous knowledge can be used as a basis for developing management plans for conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in the area.

Plant Species Composition and Structure of the Mana Angetu Moist Montane Forest, South-Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract A floristic composition and structure study of the Mana Angetu Forest was carried out between July 2003 and June 2004 at four sites of the forest with an altitudinal range of 1533–2431 m. Three transects, 750 meters apart from each other, were established at each site from ridge top of the mountain to the bottom where human interference is low. A total of 81, 30 × 30 m quadrats were established at every 50 m altitudinal drop. For shrub and herbaceous layers 5 × 5 m and 2 × 2 m subplots were established respectively, within the main quadrats. Data on species occurring cover abundance, diameter at breast height and numbers of individuals per species were collected from each quadrat. A total of 211 species belonging to 173 genera and 75 families were identified. Shrubs were represented by 33% of the species collected, followed by herbs (27%) and trees (23%). Seven clusters were recognized from the TWINSPAN output and the communities were named after 2 to 3 dominant species in each cluster. The contribution of trees with DBH>2 cm for the total tree density was 49%, whereas that of DBH>10 cm and 20 cm was 35% and 17%, respectively. The total basal area of the forest was 94m2/ha. Analysis of Importance Value Index indicated that Vepris dainellii had the highest value (79). The population structure showed that there is a need for conservation priority of species with poor regeneration. The presence of natural and anthropogenic factors affecting the forest causes concerns for its conservation and sustainable utilization.

The Potential Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Restoration of Degraded Lands.

Experiences worldwide reveal that degraded lands restoration projects achieve little success or fail. Hence, understanding the underlying causes and accordingly, devising appropriate restoration mechanisms is crucial. In doing so, the ever-increasing aspiration and global commitments in degraded lands restoration could be realized. Here we explain that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) biotechnology is a potential mechanism to significantly improve the restoration success of degraded lands. There are abundant scientific evidences to demonstrate that AMF significantly improve soil attributes, increase above and belowground biodiversity, significantly improve tree/shrub seedlings survival, growth and establishment on moisture and nutrient stressed soils. AMF have also been shown to drive plant succession and may prevent invasion by alien species. The very few conditions where infective AMF are low in abundance and diversity is when the soil erodes, is disturbed and is devoid of vegetation cover. These are all common features of degraded lands. Meanwhile, degraded lands harbor low levels of infective AMF abundance and diversity. Therefore, the successful restoration of infective AMF can potentially improve the restoration success of degraded lands. Better AMF inoculation effects result when inocula are composed of native fungi instead of exotics, early seral instead of late seral fungi, and are consortia instead of few or single species. Future research efforts should focus on AMF effect on plant community primary productivity and plant competition. Further investigation focusing on forest ecosystems, and carried out at the field condition is highly recommended. Devising cheap and ethically widely accepted inocula production methods and better ways of AMF in situ management for effective restoration of degraded lands will also remain to be important research areas.

Floristic diversity, regeneration status, and vegetation structure of woodlands in Metema Area, Amhara National Regional State, Northwestern Ethiopia

We studied woodland vegetation in broad-leaved deciduous woodlands of Metema in northwestern Amhara regional state, Ethiopia Our objective was to describe plant species composition, diversity, regeneration status, and population structure by a selective approach with a systematic sampling design. A total of 74 quadrats (each for 25 m × 25 m, spaced at intervals of 150–200 m) were sampled along established transect lines following the homogeneity of the vegetation. Vegetation data including cover-abundance, height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and numbers of seedlings and saplings of woody species were analyzed using Excel spreadsheet, Shannon Weiner diversity index, and PAST version 1.62. A total of 87 vascular plant species of 74 genera and 36 families were recorded. The dominant family was Fabaceae represented by 16 (18.39 %) species of 13 genera. Shannon Weiner diversity and evenness were 3.67 and 0.82, respectively, which showed that the area was endowed with rich floral diversity evenly distributed. The vegetation structure, as quantified by cumulative diameter class frequency distribution, plotted as an interrupted inverted-J-shape pattern with a sharp decrease in the 2nd diameter class. This indicated poor vegetation structure. The diameter classes frequency distributions of selected species plotted in four general patterns i.e., interrupted Inverted-J-shape, J-shape, Bell-shape and Irregular-shape. In conclusion, although the area showed high floral diversity and evenness, woody species including Sterculea setigera, Boswellia papyrifera, and Pterocarpus lucens showed lowest recruitment of seedlings and saplings.

Plant community and ecological analysis of woodland vegetation in Metema Area, Amhara National Regional State, Northwestern Ethiopia

We studied woodland vegetation in broad-leaved deciduous woodlands of Metema in northwestern Amhara regional state, Ethiopia to determine plant community types and species distribution patterns and their relationships with environmental variables, including altitude, pH, cation exchange capacity, electrical conductivity (EC), and moisture. We used a selective approach with a systematic sampling design. A total of 74 quadrats, each 25m × 25m at intervals of 150–200 m were sampled along the established transect lines. For herbaceous vegetation and soil data collection, five subquadrats each 1m × 1m were established at the four corners and the center of each quadrat. Three community types were identified using TWINSPAN analysis. All three community types showed high diversity (Shannon-Weiner index), the highest in community type II at 3.55. The highest similarity coefficient was 0.49 (49%) between community types II and III, reflecting 0.51 (51%) dissimilarity in their species richness. The canonical correspondence ordination diagram revealed that the distribution pattern of community type I was explained by moisture while that of community types III and II was explained by EC and altitude and moisture, respectively. Altitude was the most statistically significant environmental variable, followed by moisture and EC in determining the total variation in species composition and distribution patterns while pH and cation exchange capacity were non significant. In conclusion, we recommend that any intervention should take into account these three discrete community types and their environmental settings to make the intervention more successful.

Human-Forest interfaces in Hugumburda-Gratkhassu National Forest Priority Area, North-eastern Ethiopia

BackgroundTraditional management regimes and knowledge systems of forest resources have shaped forests throughout the world where materials from individual species are harvested in a sustainable manner. To comprehend this, the vegetation of Hugumburda-Gratkhassu Forest was described and related to anthropogenic factors.MethodsThree ethnobotanical research methods were used to collect indigenous knowledge of the local inhabitants related to conservation and utilization of forest resources. Direct matrix ranking was conducted to discover local attitudes on species preference for multiple use. During this work, the 46 most important tree and shrub species were selected based on recommendations of local guides and key informants to determine the range of uses obtained from each species. Through paired comparison, activities supposed to be the major cause of degradation of the forest were adopted. Pairs of activities were then established from the relation n (n-1)/2. Each respondent was then asked to select an activity that he considered being a major problem to management of the forest. Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain information from sixty local informants to address community attitudes towards forest management and utilization.ResultsThe result obtained from direct matrix ranking showed; that 20 out of 46 plant species compared had the highest scores and rank, indicating that these species are the most important and are exploited by the local communities for multiple purposes. The paired comparison exercise revealed logging for construction materials to be the major threat to the forest due to cutting of large volume of wood for construction of churches, health centers, schools and new houses. Juniperus procera, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata, Rhus glutinosa, Ficus sur, Hagenia abyssinica, Cassipourea malosana and Acacia etbaica were the most selected and exploited plant species for these purposes.ConclusionsSurvival of protected areas depends on the support of local communities, rather than on fences, fines, or even force. The local communities in the study area have a rich indigenous ecological knowledge to suggest appropriate solutions for improvement of the forest resources. Thus the old tradition of isolating forests from the community has to be avoided and the basic needs and traditional rights of the communities over the uses of forest resources should be recognized.