Effect of Land Use Change on Wood Species Diversity, Carbon Stock and Implication for Sustainable Conservation of Biodiversity in Ethiopia

Abstract

Land use-cover change (LULCC) is one of responsible with the anthropogenic activities that contribute the threat of biodiversity and the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions 12-20% in tropics and world that influence the human wellbeing and disturb functionality of ecosystem. The purpose of this review paper is to assess the LULCC causes, trends on forest land, consequences on plant species diversity and carbon stock and implications for sustainable landscape management in Ethiopia .Population growth, agricultural expansion, settlement, institutional factors, and weak policy enforcement and under value ecosystem were the main derivers of LULCC. At the regional, national and regional scales, these changes have profound influence plant species diversity and carbon stock potential for alterations of normal ecosystem function, particularly loss of plant biodiversity at genetic and species levels and rise of CO2 in atmosphere .the result of all these have direct impacts on livelihoods of local communities and sustainable development. Plant species diversity is reduced when land changed from a relatively undisturbed state to more intensive use. like farming, livestock grazing, selective tree harvesting, etc. while carbon stock also loss due to unsustainable agricultural land practice, conversion of native forest to agricultural land and less managed of degraded land.to revere this synergic conservation strategy is suggested like implement sustainable forest management and agricultural practice like agro-forestry.