Role of Participatory Forest Management in Woody Species Diversity and Forest Conservation: The Case of Gimbo Woreda in Keffa Zone South West Ethiopia

Asrat Alemayhu

doi:10.7176/jees/9-6-01

Abstract

Participatory forest management was started more than one decade ago in Ethiopia as one of the ways applied to reverse deforestation and depletion of natural resources. However, there are no adequate site specific empirical and quantitative studies on the effectiveness of PFM approaches in conservation of woody species diversity and forest conservation. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the impacts of PFM on woody species diversity in selected forest user groups in Gimbo Woreda, South West Ethiopia. Vegetation data were collected from different PFM user groups and adjacent Non-PFM forest blocks. A total of 63 plots measuring 20 m × 20 m were employed to collect species composition and structural data. Data for all the sapling and seedlings were also collected within subplots of 5 m X 5 m and 2 m X 2 m respectively. Accordingly a total of 73 different woody plant species (72 at PFM and 54 at Non-PFM blocks), representing 64 genera and 35 families were recorded, with 53 species shared. Woody species diversity and evenness were higher in the forest with PFM (H´ = 3.04, E = 0.76) compared to the forest without PFM (H´ = 2.8, E =0 .70). The overall average values of sapling and seedling density were also significantly (p < .05) higher in PFM than Non-PFM forests. However, no significant variations were observed in basal area and dominance of the species between the two forest blocks. Thus it can be concluded that participatory forest management is showing signs of delivering impact in terms of woody species diversity conservation in the study area. However, there is a gap in some of forest user groups in terms of forest protection from an illegal activities. Therefore it is important to conduct further assessments in the remaining forest user group’s to have baseline data for further study and performance evaluation over all forests under PFM approaches. Keywords : Forest User Group, Regeneration, Species diversity, Human induced disturbance. DOI : 10.7176/JEES/9-6-01 Publication date :June 30 th 2019

Highlights

Forests have enormous ecological, economical and socio-cultural significances (Ostrom, 1999; Robertson and Lawes, 2005)
One species (1.37%) encountered in the Non-participatory forest management (PFM) forest was absent from the PFM forest, while eighteen (24.65%) species found in PFM forest were not encountered in the Non-PFM forest, whereas 53 (72.6%) species were shared by both forest blocks
The highest number of families were recorded in PFM forest as compared to adjacent Non PFM forest patches and Rubiaceae was the most dominant family with more numbers of species in all FUGS

Summary

Introduction

Economical and socio-cultural significances (Ostrom, 1999; Robertson and Lawes, 2005). Strategies for forest conservation have been dominated by attempts to exclude people from designated forest reserves (Adams and Hulme, 2001). This protectionist approach viewed the development needs of local communities as being in direct conflict with the objectives of biodiversity conservation (Vodouhê et al 2010). This approach has been pursued as a forest conservation strategy in Sub-Saharan countries (Guthiga, 2008). The forest management administration over the last 50 years in Ethiopia has negatively affected the forest resource by restricting local communities’ access and user right and Ethiopia continue to face the challenge of how best to manage and conserve their forests (Gebremdhin, 2008)

Methods

Results

Conclusion