Abstract
Sustainable farming practice that utilizes and conserves biodiversity, reducing negative impacts of agriculture on biodiversity and provides wood and energy to local community is a good solution to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. This study was carried out in Dallo Mena district of Bale zone to identify woody species diversity in homegarden agroforestry practices, shade grown coffee agroforestry practices and adjacent natural forest, and to show how land use and management practice determine the plant species diversity. The study site was selected based on spatial analogue approach. In each land use, a plots of 10 m × 10 m size was drown by using systematic sampling method following the transect line. A total of 36 sample plots were sampled along the transect line laid down inside each land uses. In each plot, woody species were counted and the diameter and height of trees and shrubs were measured. Based on this inventory a total of 39 woody plant species which are about 23, 10, 15 woody plant species were recorded from natural forest, shade grown coffee agroforestry and homegarden agroforestry practices respectively. These species were classified belonging to 24 families. The Shannon Wiener diversity index used to estimate species diversity ranged from 0.14 to 2.54 with a mean of 1.47. Also 21% woody species similarities were observed between those three land uses. The result shows that both agroforestry practices (shade grown coffee and home garden agroforestry practices) and adjacent natural forests are conserving several woody species diversity in its system.
Highlights
Species Diversity and Frequency Overall, 39 woody plant species were recorded from natural forest (NF), homegarden agroforestry practices (HG) and shade grown coffee agroforestry practices (SC)
The number of individual woody species recorded at HG, NF and SC were 335, 194 and 1548 respectively
From a total 39 woody species diversity recorded during this inventory, about 23, 10, 15 species were recorded from natural forest, shade grown coffee and homegarden agroforestry practices
Summary
Natural forest has wide ecological and environmental values and is a source of biodiversity [1]. Ethiopia is one of the richest countries in having plant species diversity. The geographical location of Ethiopia covers wide agro-climatic zones and important center of biological diversity. This wide ecological condition of Ethiopia has created diverse and conducive environments for the development of a variety of flora. There are about 7000 different flowering plants grown in Ethiopia, out of which about 12% of them are endemic for the country [2]
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