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Understanding the dynamics of land use/land cover (LU/LC) changes and what drives these changes is essential for creating effective strategies for sustainable land management. It also helps to monitor the impact on ecosystems and biodiversity, which is crucial for policy-making. This study focused on assessing the trends, rates, and extent of LU/LC change and its causes in the western part of Lake Abaya in Ethiopia. To achieve this, we used a supervised classification method with a maximum-likelihood algorithm to map different land use land cover types. Additionally, we gathered information through field observations, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs) to identify the factors driving LU/LC change and its consequences between 1990 and 2022. The study findings revealed that vegetation and wetlands significantly decreased over this period, while water bodies, agricultural land, and settlements expanded at the expense of other land uses. The average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values decreased from 0.368 in 1990 to 0.135 in 2022, indicating declining vegetation health. Local communities point to several factors responsible for these changes, including the expansion of agricultural land, increased settlement, firewood collection, and charcoal production (as proximate/immediate drivers), as well as population growth, poverty, unemployment, climate change, and policy-related issues (as underlying causes). Thus, it needs the development and implementation of an integrated and sustainable land management system, and strong land use and restoration policies in order to halt or reduce the rapid expansion of agricultural land and settlement areas at the expense of vegetation and wetlands.

Societal Impact Statement The global success and expansion of a small pool of major crops, including rice, wheat and maize, risks homogenising global agriculture. Focusing on the agriculturally diverse Ethiopian Highlands, this study tested whether farm diversity tends to be lower among farmers who grow more introduced crops. Surprisingly, it was found that farmers have successfully integrated introduced crops, resulting in more diverse and heterogenous farms without negatively impacting indigenous crop diversity. This is encouraging because diverse farms, comprising indigenous agricultural systems supplemented by introduced crops, may help address global challenges such as food insecurity. Summary The global expansion of a handful of major crops risks eroding indigenous crop diversity and homogenising agroecosystems, with significant consequences for sustainable and resilient food systems. Here, we investigate the farm‐scale impact of introduced crops on indigenous agroecosystems. We surveyed 1369 subsistence farms stratified across climate gradients in the Ethiopian Highlands, a hotspot of agrobiodiversity, to characterise the richness and cultivated area of the 83 edible crops they contained. We further categorise these crops as being indigenous to Ethiopia, or introduced across three different eras. We apply non‐metric multidimensional scaling and mixed effects modelling to characterise agroecosystem composition across farms with different proportions of introduced crops. Crops from different periods do not differ significantly in frequency or abundance across farms. Among geographically matched pairs of farms, those with higher proportions of modern introduced crops had significantly higher overall crop richness. Furthermore, farms with a high proportion of modern introduced crops showed higher heterogeneity in crop composition. An analysis of socio‐economic drivers indicated that poverty is negatively associated with the cultivated area of introduced crops. In our Ethiopian case study, global patterns of major crop expansion are not necessarily associated with agrobiodiversity loss at the farm scale or higher homogeneity across indigenous agricultural systems. Importantly, socioeconomic factors may influence farmers' propensity to adopt novel species, suggesting targets for agricultural extension policies. Given the rapid climatic, economic and demographic changes impacting global food systems and the threats to food security these entail, robust indigenous agricultural systems enriched with diverse introduced crops may help maintain resilience.

Social Impact Statement The exchange of plant material and data is essential for supporting collaborative research efforts to address global challenges. In order to promote collaboration between Plant Genetic Resource (PGR) organizations in conservation research and development and to improve the sustainable utilization of PGRs, constraints to plant material and data exchange must be addressed. This can only be achieved through the introduction of policy measures that will build trust among institutions and encourage facilitated plant material exchange, equitable benefit sharing, and compliance with Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) instruments. The resulting improvements in the conservation and sustainable utilization of PGRs will improve food security, public health, livelihoods, sustainable development, and ecological sustainability. Summary The aim of this study was to assess the extent of plant material exchange between European and African Plant Genetic Resource (PGR) organizations for research and development. Data were collected from Index Seminum databases and through a survey questionnaire. They were statistically analyzed using a chi‐square test and Spearman correlation coefficient using SPSS, version 25. The study indicated that the extent of plant material exchange between African and European PGR organizations for research and development is insignificant compared with the exchange between European institutions. Plant material exchange usually included benefit sharing, and the most commonly shared benefits were knowledge transfer, participation in research, access to research results, and joint authorship of publications. Many of the respondents were not very familiar with Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) principles and regulations. The major constraints to plant material exchange were found to be cumbersome bureaucratic procedures, poor knowledge of compliance requirements, lack of national ABS regulations, poor quality of data associated with collections, and lack of tracking mechanisms. The low level of plant material exchange between African and European institutions is also most probably due to limited human and technological capacity in African institutions that restrict their involvement in research and development. Therefore, there is a need to build trust and to increase human and technological capacities for research in African institutions to strengthen collaboration by ensuring facilitated exchange and equitable benefit sharing.

Abstract Understanding the changing plant ecosystems that existed in East Africa over the past millennia is crucial for identifying links between habitats and past human adaptation and dispersal across the region. In the Horn of Africa, this task is hampered by the scarcity of fossil botanical data. Here we present modelled past vegetation distributions in Ethiopia from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to present at high spatial and temporal resolution. The simulations show that, contrary to long-standing hypotheses, the area covered by Afromontane forests during the Late Glacial was significantly larger than at present. The combined effect of low temperatures and the relative rainfall contribution sourced from the Congo Basin and Indian Ocean, emerges as the mechanism that controlled the migration of Afromontane forests to lower elevations. This process may have enabled the development of continuous forest corridors connecting populations that are currently isolated in mountainous areas over the African continent. Starting with the Holocene, the expansion of forests began to reverse. This decline intensified over the second half of the Holocene leading to a retreat of the forests to higher elevations where they are restricted today. The simulations are consistent with proxy data derived from regional pollen records and provide a key environmental and conceptual framework for human environmental adaptation research.

An ecological study of the vegetation in the Loka Abaya National Park, in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia, was conducted. Vegetation data and some environmental variables including physical and chemical properties of the soil, altitude, slope, and ecological disturbance were collected and subjected to the agglomerative hierarchical classification and ordination with the canonical correspondence analysis. For each of the community groups, the mean and standard errors were calculated from the environmental parameters to characterize the community types and quantitative relationships between environmental variables were analyzed by calculating Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient using the SAS computer software programme. A total of 198 plant species representing 79 families and 139 genera were collected and documented. Seven plant community types, namely, Vachellia brevispica Harms–Rhus natalensis Krauss, Ficus sur Forssk.–Vachellia albida (Del.) A. Chev., Panicum subalbidum Kunth–Cyperus latifolius Poir, Dodonaea angustifolia L. f.–Ximenia americana L., Combretum molle R.Br ex. G.Don–Combretum collinum Fresen., Ilex mitis (L.) Radlk–Olea europaea L. subsp. cuspidata, and Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn, were identified. Ilex mitis–Olea europaea L. subsp. cuspidata community had the highest species richness, whereas the least species richness was recorded for the Panicum subalbidum–Cyperus latifolius community. The results of vegetation-environment relationships indicated that the measured environmental variables explained 74.99% of the total variation in floristic data. The results of the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of community-environment relationships indicated that among measured environmental variables, altitude (r2 0.0548, P

Abstract Subterranean animals act as ecosystem engineers, for example, through soil perturbation and herbivory, shaping their environments worldwide. As the occurrence of animals is often linked to above‐ground features such as plant species composition or landscape textures, satellite‐based remote sensing approaches can be used to predict the distribution of subterranean species. Here, we combine in‐situ collected vegetation composition data with remotely sensed data to improve the prediction of a subterranean species across a large spatial scale. We compared three machine learning‐based modeling strategies, including field and satellite‐based remote sensing data to different extents, in order to predict the distribution of the subterranean giant root‐rat GRR, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, an endangered rodent species endemic to the Bale Mountains in southeast Ethiopia. We included no, some and extensive fieldwork data in the modeling to test how these data improved prediction quality. We found prediction quality to be particularly dependent on the spatial coverage of the training data. Species distributions were best predicted by using texture metrics and eyeball‐selected data points of landscape marks created by the GRR. Vegetation composition as a predictor showed the lowest contribution to model performance and lacked spatial accuracy. Our results suggest that the time‐consuming collection of vegetation data in the field is not necessarily required for the prediction of subterranean species that leave traceable above‐ground landscape marks like the GRR. Instead, remotely sensed and spatially eyeball‐selected presence data of subterranean species could profoundly enhance predictions. The usage of remote sensing‐derived texture metrics has great potential for improving the distribution modeling of subterranean species, especially in arid ecosystems.

The conservation of endemic plant species is a major concern, as the species are with restricted distribution range. Since in situ conservation alone will not guarantee their maintenance, ex situ conservation measures must be undertaken to support the conservation of these species. Investigation of the impact of the storage environment of seeds gives baseline information. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of different storage conditions (room temperature, 4 °C and −10 °C) and different storage periods over one year. Four Ethiopian endemic plant species, namely Euryops pinifolius, Kniphofia foliosa, Lobelia rhynchopetalum, and Solanecio gigas, were considered. Multivariate analyses revealed a significant (p < 0.05) effect of storage condition and period on seed germination. The storage of seeds at room temperature before drying may not be recommended for short-term storage of the studied species, except K. foliosa. After drying of seeds, E. pinifolius, K. foliosa, and L. rhynchopetalum seeds showed high germination percentage (above 80%) after storage even at sub-zero temperatures for one year. The germination percentage of S. gigas stored at room temperature before drying for thirteen months was 60% and that stored at 4 °C was 6%, which indicates that the seeds may be categorized under intermediate storage behavior. The three species can be grouped in the orthodox seed storage category. Research on desiccation screening should be undertaken to predict an optimal combination of storage moisture content and suitable storage temperature to determine storage category with certainty.

Abstract Background As compared to natural forest ecosystems, soils under agroecosystems are more subjected to changes in physical and biochemical attributes. But, tree species that are retained and/or planted on these agroecosystems replenish soil fertility through the influence of leaves litterfall quantity and quality. Tree species-related differences in the quantity and seasonality of leaves litterfall and the associated amounts of annual returns of nutrient elements were assessed from four multipurpose tree/shrub species (Erythrina brucei Schweinf, Cordia africana Lam., Grevillea robusta R. Br. and Malus sylvestris Mill.) in homegarden agroforestry systems. Five replicates of two leaf litterfall traps per species were randomly positioned beneath the subcanopy area for 12 months, totaling 40 litterfall traps distributed among the four species. Results The results of this study suggested that total annual leaves litterfall varied significantly among species (ranging from 171.18 to 962 kg ha− 1), with the combined per tree mean monthly (28.13 kg tree− 1), per tree annual (331.10 kg tree− 1 year− 1) and per area basis total annual (9439.33 kg ha− 1) leaves litterfall production. A clear seasonal leaves litterfall pattern with varying peaks was observed for the multipurpose tree/shrub species in the present study, with a bimodal distribution pattern for E. brucei and C. africana and a unimodal distribution pattern for G. robusta and M. sylvestris. Similarly, both the concentrations and inputs of nutrients from the leaves᾽ litterfall showed considerable variations among species (p

Wild edible plants (WEPs) are the natural food source that can help to mitigate food insecurity and improve starvation in low income countries including Ethiopia. Despite the widespread use of WEPs in Ethiopia, studies on the nutritional contents of Ethiopian WEPs are limited. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the nutritional value (proximate, mineral, and vitamin C contents) of the most consumed seven wild edible plants collected from Lasta District, Northeastern Ethiopia. The nutritional parameters including proximate, macro and micronutrients, and also vitamin C contents of the selected seven wild edible plants were evaluated using standard food analysis methods (moisture by dry-oven method, ash by high-temperature incineration in an electric muffle furnace, fat by Soxhlet extraction procedure, protein by Kjeldahl process, minerals by Atomic absorption spectrometer and atomic emission spectrometry and vitamin C by using a spectrophotometer). One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the nutritional content variations of selected WEPs. The proximate composition of the 7 WEPs came in the respective ranges of moisture (6.50–9.77 g/100 g); ash (6.99–26.35 g/100 g); crude protein (13.1–33.63 g/100 g); crude fat (1.08–9.83 g/100 g); crude fiber (6.21–43.77 g/100 g); utilizable carbohydrate (30.11–66.25 g/100 g) and gross energy (213.05–414.80 Kcal/100 g). The mineral composition of WEPs (mg/100 g dry weight) for macronutrients ranged from 25.53–37.99 Na, 56.65–72.79 Mg, 14.40–43.57 K, 44.35–60.14 Ca, and for micronutrients it ranged from 10.51–27.96 Fe, 8.35–23.87 Zn, 14.08–23.20 Cu, and 7.99–19.08 Mn. The vitamin C contents of WEPs (mg/100 g dry weight) ranged from 2.16–70.42 except in Haplocarpha rueppelii leaves in which its vitamin C content is below the detection limit. The outcome of the investigation indicates that the proximate, mineral and vitamin C contents of the WEPs included in the analysis were higher than those of some common crops (sorghum, rice, wheat, barley and maize), indicating their nutritional contribution to the human diet in the studied area. These wild food sources make up a good part of the traditional subsistence system of the people of Lasta District alongside their common food crops and other food sources.

Home to 88 million people, the Ethiopian mountains are a highly heterogeneous landscape. The Afroalpine ecosystem is found above 3000 masl and is characterized by high levels of species diversity, rarity, and endemism. The objective of this article is to investigate impacts of plantation forests on both the human and plant communities of the Afroalpine zone. We use a case study of a community-based conservation area in the north central highlands, Guassa Community Conservation Area (Guassa), where plantation forests have been established since the 1970s. The study area covers about 78 km2 ranging between 2600 and 3700 masl and largely belongs to the Afroalpine zone. We interviewed 100 residents of the 4 administrative regions closest to Guassa and conducted vegetation sampling of 70 quadrats along 2 transect lines. We found a roughly equal number of ecosystem services between native grassland and plantation forest. However, respondents reported 7 unique ecosystem services from the native grassland and only 3 unique ecosystem services from the plantation forest. Both native grassland and plantation areas were valued for their perceived ability to attract rain and provide habitat for wild animals. We recorded a total of 87 species belonging to 63 genera and 31 plant families across both vegetation types surveyed and a total of 19 endemic species. Of the plant families, Asteraceae had the highest species number. Although plantation forests support less diverse plant communities and provide fewer unique ecosystem services to human communities compared to native Afroalpine vegetation, they are still a valuable piece of the landscape mosaic.

Forest products and forest-based activities in Ethiopia play a substantial economic contribution to the livelihoods of rural households. Despite its pivotal role, empirical data are inadequate on forests' monetary contribution across a range of ecological locations and social situation, particularly for rural agrarian communities of the developing nations, like Ethiopia. We estimated the economic contributions of forest products and forest-based activities to forest-dependent rural households’ income and highlighted key socioeconomic characteristics in Wolaita, Ethiopia. We collected demographic, socioeconomic, and forest use data using a semi-structured questionnaire survey of 384 households, and surveyed markets to determine the prices of forest products for the valuation of forest use in three districts. We used descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, the two-sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA to analyze the data. Findings showed that all respondents were engaged in one way or another in forest-based activities, while 84.6 % were involved in farming. The annual average income from forest products was 252.7US per household, contributing to 28.1 % of the total yearly average income (989.4US$), and 38.3 % relative forest income (RFI). Annual mean household income from crops was 648.1US$. Average annual household income from grazing, charcoal, firewood, woodcutting, cut-and-carry, NTFP, seed selling, medicinal plants, and seedling selling was 77.3 %, 58.4 %, 50.2 %, 24.1 %, 18.5 %, 12.7 %, 7.1 %, 6.8 % and 5.4 % of the total annual mean income, respectively revealing a significant difference (p

Abstract Background Despite the fact that ethnobotanical studies have been conducted in various parts of Ethiopia, compared with the existence of the multitude and diverse ethnic groups and their associated traditional knowledge, the studies are not comprehensive enough for all the localities and communities in the country. This is also true for the Hamar community of Southwestern Ethiopia, who are totally dependent on plants and plant products for their livelihood. Hence, this investigation was done to identify and record medicine plants and the native wisdom of the community in the area. Methods Three hundred twenty six (326) informants were selected from the 12 lowest governmental units (Kebeles) applying Cochran’s formula through stratified random sampling technique. From the total informants, 74 (48 males and 26 females) were purposively selected for in-depth discussion. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, guided field walks as well as market surveys were used for data collection. Standard ethnobotanical analytical tools comprising ranking and comparison were used for the analysis. Preference ranking, pair-wise comparison, informant consensus factor, direct matrix ranking, Cultural Significance Index (CSI) and Jaccard’s similarity coefficient (JCS) as well as Analysis of Variances (ANOVA), applying SPSS (version 20) were computed. Results A total of 145 species practical to cure about 72 ailments of livestock and humans were recorded. Families Fabaceae (with 22% of species), Asteraceae (11%), and Lamiaceae (9%) were discovered as the most dominant families in the area. Shrubs contributed the most (40%) to the growth forms followed by herbs (26.5%). Fresh leaves of the plants were parts that are used most frequently in the area. The highest ICF value (0.94) was recorded for reproductive problem categories. There was a relatively very high dependence of the community on plants and plant products together with a hoarded indigenous knowledge in the area that positively correlated with age (r = 0.82). Conclusion The study's findings revealed that Buska Mountain range is a home for highly diverse and most dependable plant species and associated indigenous knowledge. However, because of the realized environmental threats in the area, the conservation efforts of the community should be invigorated and supported in order to sustain the biodiversity in general and the medicinal plant species in particular.

Abstract Background Studying the floristic diversity of a certain forest is a basic aspect of the design and management of forest vegetation; and consequently this study focused on the plant diversity and community analysis of the Sele-Nono forest. For the current study, plants were sampled from 90 plots using a stratified random sampling technique along the established strata of the study forest. In all the plots, both floristic and environmental data that were relevant to the study were collected following the state of the art. Based on the collected data, the community types, ordination, floristic diversity, and threats to the forest were analyzed using R-package and SPSS software. Results Cluster analysis produced seven distinct community types which significantly differed among themselves (Cophentic correlation coefficient = 0.785, P 12) of plant species at the landscape level (i.e., throughout the study forest). Deforestation for agricultural land expansion and degradation through selective logging are the main threats to the Sele-Nono forest. Conclusions The present study revealed that the Sele-Nono forest is a large and heterogenous forest at the landscape level (150, 325.27 ha; $${\beta }_{w}$$ β w >12). Moreover, it is one of the richest and diverse forest ecosystems in terms of plant biodiversity, and it could qualify to be labeled as a keystone ecosystem. However, currently it is exposed to a variety of threats. We recommend the forest to be developed into a biosphere reserve. We also recommend the prioritization of areas belonging to community types 2 and 6 of the forest for any possible conservation actions so as to maximize species richness and diversity of the native plants of the area.

C. grandiflora has been termed the worst invasive alien plant species. However, its allelopathic potential has not been studied yet. The goal of this research was to study the allelopathic potential of C. grandiflora on the germination and seedling growth of L. usitatissimum and G. abyssinica. Plant specimens and samples of C. grandiflora were collected from the Minjar-Shenkora district, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. An experimental investigation was conducted to check the impact of its leaf and root extracts on the growth and germination parameters of the indicated test plant species. The root and leaf samples were extracted with water and methanol (99.85%). Leaf and root samples of 25 g were steeped separately in 250 ml of each of the specified solvents to make the stock solutions. The experiment was conducted in 9-cm-diameter Petri-dishes and laid out in completely random designs, replicated thrice with five blocks, each block representing a different concentration of extract (25, 50, 75, and 100%) and control. Twenty-five seeds of each test plant were placed in a petri-dish along with five ml of each extract. Differences between treatments were evaluated using one-way-ANOVA and Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) Test. Results revealed that the inhibitory effect of water extracts of roots and leaves samples was concentration-dependent. With leaf extracts as opposed to root, the inhibitory effect was more pronounced. Hence, when L. usitatissimum seeds were treated with 100% concentration of water extracts from leaf samples of C. grandiflora germination-percentage, seedlings dry-weight, plumule, and radicle length were reduced by 80, 79.3, 73.6, and 79.4% respectively compared to the control. The above parameters also dropped considerably when G. abyssinica seeds were treated with the indicated concentrations. Conversely, the germination of seeds from both test plant species was entirely inhibited in methanol extracts. From this study, it can be deduced that these invasive plant extracts have herbicidal properties. Further phytochemical and molecular study is recommended to identify the active ingredients of C. grandiflora and determine their characteristics. Besides, the integration of identified allelopathic substances as a tool in the management of invasive species is proposed as an environment-friendly option to lessen the deterioration of ecosystem services.

Abstract Echinops kebericho is a narrow‐range multipurpose medicinal plant confined to Ethiopia. Intense land use change and overharvesting for traditional medicine have resulted in narrow distributions of its populations. It is a threatened species with a decreasing population trend. This study aims to map its potential distribution, which is key to guide conservation efforts and sustainable use. We modeled the potential distribution of E. kebercho using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) employing 11 less correlated predictor variables by calibrating the model at two complexity levels and replicating each model 10 times using a cross validation technique. We projected the models into the whole of Ethiopia and produced binary presence–absence maps by classifying the average map from both complexity levels applying three threshold criteria and ensembling the resulting maps into one for the final result. We mapped suitable habitat predicted with high certainty and identified local districts where E. kebericho can be cultivated or introduced to enhance its conservation. We estimated that E.kebercho has about 137,925 km2 of suitable habitat, mainly concentrated in the western highlands of the Ethiopian mountains. Our models at both complexity levels had high average performances, AUC values of 0.925 for the complex model and 0.907 for the simpler model. The variations in performance among the 10 model replicates were not remarkable, an AUC standard deviation of 0.040 for complex and 0.046 for simple model. Although E. kebericho is locally confined, our models predicted that it has a remarkably wider potential distribution area. We recommend introducing E. kebericho to these areas to improve its conservation status and tap its multiple benefits on a sustainable basis. Locally confined threatened plants and animals likely have wider potential distributions than their actual distributions and thus similar methodology can be applied for their conservation.

Ethiopia, with its wide altitudinal gradient is known for its rich biodiversity. But the natural vegetation in the country is highly threatened by alarming deforestation rate. This study was conducted to examine tree population structure and the natural regeneration of indigenous tree species in Tulu Lafto Forest which is located in Horo Guduru Wollega Zone of Oromia National Regional State, Western Ethiopia. Seventy-five quadrats of 400 m2 were systematically laid following an altitudinal gradient. In all the quadrats, diameter at breast height (dbh) and height of all woody plants with a dbh of 2.5 cm and above were measured and recorded. Seedlings and saplings of all woody species were also counted. In the forest, 145 woody species in 118 genera and 55 families were recorded. Although the overall population structure of the forest is an inverted J pattern, some selected tree species revealed irregular population distribution patterns. Seedling and sapling density analysis also showed some tree species have poor regeneration. Hence, species with irregular population distribution patterns and those that are missing from the juvenile phase (seedlings and saplings) require urgent conservation measures.

As the loss of forests over time results in a net flux of carbon (C) into the atmosphere, the practice of agroforestry can combat this and serve as a long-term sink for CO2. Based on the inventory of 93 homegarden agroforestry systems (AFS) in three study sites and using a non-destructive method involving allometric equations, the research assessed aboveground (AG) and belowground (BG) biomass and biomass C stocks across sites and along age groups in homegarden AFS in southern and southwestern Ethiopia. Plant diversity parameters were also gathered on perennial plant species. Results indicate that the mean perennial plant species richness per homegarden agroforestry, and other diversity parameters varied strongly among sites (p 10 and ≤20 years (39.96 Mg C ha−1), but it was stagnant 20 years onward (28.49 Mg C ha−1). The homegarden agroforestry systems had the potential to store up to 80.81–112.30 Mg·ha−1 of CO2 equivalents across sites, and 82.53–104.55 Mg·ha−1 of CO2 equivalents along age groups. A positive relationship was noted between AG woody biomass C stocks and attributes such as woody species richness, and woody plant density. Considering the involvement of large numbers of homegardeners, future improvements and expansion of homegarden agroforestry to larger areas can enhance to a great extent the potential to sequester C and thereby mitigate climate change.

Woody species within pastures and savannas are often associated with ‘resource islands’ characterized by higher fertility under canopies trees. The aims of this study were to evaluate (1) the effects of Prosopis juliflora on some soil physicochemical properties and (2) the impacts of Prosopis invasion on soil salinity. For soil physicochemical analysis, a total of 104 soil samples from Teru and Yalo Districts were collected. The soil samples were collected from soil depths of 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm in Prosopis invaded and non-invaded open grazing lands. Invasion of Prosopis had significantly affected soil pH, exchangeable Na+, water soluble Ca2+ + Mg2+, water soluble Na+, and exchangeable sodium percentage in Teru and Yalo Districts (p

The seed banks are vital components for the reestablishment of degraded lands since they are used to predict the future coverage of vegetation and allow for the implementation of appropriate conservation measures in a particular area. The study was conducted in the Buska Mountains of the Hamar area in south-western Ethiopia and determined the composition, density and vertical distribution of soil seed banks under various land-use systems and soil layers. A total of 96 soil samples were involved in the study; four land-use types (grassland, forest, scrub and bare ground). Three distinct soil layers from each plot (0–3 cm, 3–6 cm, 6–9 cm depths) were sampled. Jaccard's Similarity Coefficient was applied to evaluate the correspondence between different land-use types and soil layers. One-way ANOVA was used to compute species density and composition respectively within land-use systems along with the seed bank and above ground vegetation. Fifty six (56) species within 27 plant families and 50 genera were recorded. Twenty percent of the species was contributed by Asteraceae followed by Poaceae (16%). Herbaceous growth forms were the most dominant in the area, contributing about 78.6%. The total seedling density in the study plots was 8171 seedlings/m2. Jaccard's Similarity Coefficient is relatively higher (0.52) between grassland and scrub, while the forest and bare land had the least amount of similarity (0.22). There was seen a higher similarity of species between the first and second soil layers and a decreasing density with soil depth. A substantial difference between the aboveground species and seed bank was recorded in the area. The lower resemblance between the standing vegetation and the seed bank infers a lower overall restoration potential and suggests other alternative regeneration mechanisms such as seedling plantation of priority indigenous plant species and avoiding anthropogenic disturbances.

The species composition in the aboveground vegetation and soil seed bank (SSB) were described for the dry Afromontane forest patches of Northwestern Ethiopia. Plots (30 × 30 m) were established to collect the vegetation and environmental data. Soil samples were collected for the soil bank study from the small plots measuring 10 cm × 10 cm from four soil layers. Shannon Weiner index and evenness were used to assess the species diversity and richness of the forest. Density, DBH, basal area, frequency, and importance value indices (IVI) of woody species were computed to characterize the vegetation structure of the forest. Results indicate the presence of 176 plant species belonging to 80 families. The Shannon diversity index and evenness values of the study area were 2.79 and 0.95, respectively were medium, compared to other dry Afromontane forests of Ethiopia. The total basal area and density of woody species were 51.42 m2 ha−1 and 2679.33 individual ha−1, respectively. The most dominant species as and indicated by their important value index (lVI) was Prunus africana (17.97). A total of 2133 seedlings belonging to 44 species and 27 families were identified from the soil seed bank, with a viable seed density of 4636.95seeds/m2. The species composition of the seed bank was dominated by 29 herb species (65.9%) compared to 2 tree species, which accounted for only 4.54% of the total number of species. The highest number of species density was recorded in the litter and the upper 3 cm layer of the soil and gradually decreased with increasing depth. The Similarity between soil seed bank species composition and aboveground vegetation was low and conclude that the regeneration potential of the forest from seed bank is limited. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that emerged seedlings from the soil seed bank were significantly influenced by elevation and soil cation exchange capacity. The natural regeneration process of soil seed bank should be assisted through transplanting indigenous tree species in to the forests to accelerate the restoration of the vegetation and conservation and sustainable utilization of the reaming of forest patches is a necessity.

Soil seed bank (SSB) is an important component in the process of rehabilitating degraded lands by forecasting the future vegetation cover of a given area. The present study was conducted in Hirmidryland vegetation, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia; to investigate the soil seed bank under different land use types in the vegetation ecosystem. A total of 128 soil samples were taken from eight points of four land use types (Shrubland, forest, grassland and bare land) and four soil layers (litter layer, 0–3 cm, 3–6 cm and 6–9 cm depth). Each sample plots measured 15 cm x 15 cm (225cm2). The density, composition and vertical distribution of seedlings were computed. A total of 58 species representing 51 genera and 22 families were recovered from the soil seed bank. Of these, 86.2% of them were herbs. The total density of soil seed banks from all land-use types was 3,116.7seeds/m2. The highest species composition was recorded in the shrubland and the least number of species were recorded in the bare land. Poaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae were among the plant families with high species composition that accounted for 60.35% of the total. Oplismenus burmannii, Woodfordia uniflora, Rhus retinorrhoea and Pennisetum glaucifolium were among the species with high density. The highest Jaccard's coefficient of similarity was revealed between soil seed bank of forest and shrubland whereas the least similarity was recorded between forest land and bare land. The soil seed bank result from all land use types in the study area showed that the regeneration potential of the woody species were poor. Hence, this study underscores other restoration approaches such as growing seedlings of woody species and plantation, direct seeding in the degraded ecosystem and preventing selective cutting of the matured woody species are recommended.

Abstract The dryland area in Ethiopia covers a substantial region endowed with diverse plant resources. However, the landmass has received less attention even if it has high ecological, environmental, and economic uses. The present study was conducted in Hirmi woodland vegetation, which is one of the dryland areas in Ethiopia, with the objective of investigating the floristic composition, plant community types, vegetation structure, community-environment relations and its regeneration status. Vegetation and environmental data were collected from 80 sampling plots with a size of 25 m × 25 m designated as the main plots. Diameter at breast height (DBH), height, basal area, density, vertical structure, importance value index (IVI), and frequency were computed. Species diversity and evenness were analyzed using Shannon diversity and evenness indices. The plant community types and vegetation-environment relationships were analyzed using classification and ordination tools, respectively. A total of 171 vascular plant species belonging to 135 genera and 56 families were recorded. About 5.3% of the species were endemic and near-endemic to Ethiopia. The highest number of species was recorded in families Fabaceae (16.4%) and Poaceae (11.7%) followed by Asteraceae (7.0%), Combretaceae, Lamiaceae, and Moraceae (3.5% each). Five plant communities were identified. According to the results from ordination analysis, the floristic composition of these plant communities was significantly affected by altitude, slope, sand, silt, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and disturbance. The vegetation structure reveals that a large number of individual species was categorized in the lower DBH, frequency, and height classes. The highest Shannon diversity index and evenness values of the study area were 4.21 and 0.95, respectively. Anogeissus leiocarpa, Combretum hartmannianum, Ziziphus mucronata, Terminalia macroptera, and Acacia polyacantha were the species with high IVI. Some endemic plants were in the IUCN red list categories of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The overall regeneration status of the study area was poor because of anthropogenic disturbances and grazing pressures. Although the study area is endowed with high plant species diversity including endemism, it is under poor regeneration status due to various disturbances. To overcome this challenge, integrated management measures including monitoring and application of restoration techniques by taking into consideration the significant environmental factors associated with species diversity as well as observed regeneration status and IUCN threat level of the species are highly recommended.

Social Impact Statement Patents can be used as a measure of innovation and to illustrate the commercial potential of plant and fungal biodiversity. The proportion of plant species named in patents represents only 6.2% of plant species, whereas the proportion of fungi is likely less than 0.4%. Fungi clearly justify further research. Innovation on a species usually drives more innovation on that species. We suggest that we should ensure that commercialization frameworks encourage studies on a greater diversity of plants and fungi. This could not only increase the range of biodiversity‐based products and associated income but also incentivize their conservation and encourage more fundamental research. Summary In this review, patents are used as a measure of innovation, and data show that a low proportion of plant and fungal biodiversity is mentioned in patents. The proportion of plant species named in patents represents only 6.2% of plant species, whereas the proportion of fungi is most likely less than 0.4%. The number of species within a plant family mentioned in patents varies greatly. The following families having the greatest numbers: Asteraceae with 1,445 species (4.5% of species), Fabaceae with 1,299 species (5.8%), Poaceae with 1,008 species (8.5%), and Rosaceae with 718 species (12.7%). Case studies from Brazil, Ethiopia, and South Africa explore some of the controversies associated with patenting, especially when patents have not taken prior art into account. In contrast, a case study on plants and fungi used in traditional Chinese medicine illustrates their economic value and their potential to support new innovations. Innovative ways to use plant and fungal biodiversity has the potential to generate wealth, reduce poverty, improve human well‐being and in theory incentivize biodiversity conservation. International and national policies and laws that aim to facilitate equitable benefit‐sharing associated with access to and use of genetic diversity need to be reviewed to help facilitate innovation, as well as ensure that the rights of communities to use these resources are recognized and supported.

Societal Impact Statement Plant and fungal specimens provide the auditable evidence that a particular organism occurred at a particular place, and at a particular point in time, verifying past occurrence and distribution. They also document the aspects of human exploration and culture. Collectively specimens form a global asset with significant potential for new uses to help address societal and environmental challenges. Collections also serve as a platform to engage and educate a broad range of stakeholders from the academic to the public, strengthening engagement and understanding of plant and fungal diversity—the basis of life on Earth. Summary We provide a global review of the current state of plant and fungal collections including herbaria and fungaria, botanic gardens, fungal culture collections, and biobanks. The review focuses on the numbers of collections, major taxonomic group and species level coverage, geographical representation and the extent to which the data from collections are digitally accessible. We identify the major gaps in these collections and in digital data. We also consider what collection types need to be further developed to support research, such as environmental DNA and cryopreservation of desiccation‐sensitive seeds. Around 31% of vascular plant species are represented in botanic gardens, and 17% of known fungal species are held in culture collections, both these living collections showing a bias toward northern temperate taxa. Only 21% of preserved collections are available via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) with Asia, central and north Africa and Amazonia being relatively under‐represented. Supporting long‐term collection facilities in biodiverse areas should be considered by governmental and international aid agencies, in addition to short‐term project funding. Institutions should consider how best to speed up digitization of collections and to disseminate all data via aggregators such as GBIF, which will greatly facilitate use, research, and community curation to improve quality. There needs to be greater alignment between biodiversity informatics initiatives and standards to allow more comprehensive analysis of collections data and to facilitate linkage of extended information, facilitating broader use. Much can be achieved with greater coordination through existing initiatives and strengthening relationships with users.

This study assessed the effects of Prosopis juliflora invasion on livelihood diversification and evaluated the determinants of livelihood diversification in two districts in the South Afar region of Northeast Ethiopia. Using random sampling method, 154 households and 2 focus groups composed of 10 individuals were selected from four sites in the two districts. The relationship between P. juliflora invasion and incomes obtained from P. juliflora varied across the study sites. In Awash Fentale District and Amibara District, 11.0% and 3.2% of households, respectively, earned income from P. juliflora charcoal production. In total, 14.3% of households were involved in charcoal production. In addition, 19.9% of households earned income from selling P. juliflora pods and wood materials in the two districts. With the exception of income from P. juliflora charcoal production, the sex of households did not affect incomes from other livelihood activities. Moreover, household educational attainment significantly affected income obtained from vegetables, fruits, and cereal crops. Male householders were engaged in more diverse livelihood activities than female householders. Reversing the severe invasion of P. juliflora on grazing and woodlands in the region is advisable through integrated natural resources, pastoralist participation, and multidisciplinary research strategies.

Abstract Background Ethnic groups throughout the world have developed their own cultures expressed in the form of customs, taboos, and traditional healthcare systems. Traditional medicine system is one of the widespread cultures known throughout the world which is very much tied to cultural practices of the community or ethnic group. Medicinal plant treasure found in Gurage and Silti zones remained poorly characterized and understood. Therefore, this study was conducted in four ethnic groups: three from Gurage zone (Gurage, Qebena, and Mareqo) and one from Silti zone (Silti) which have lived in close proximity and contact for many centuries in the respective zones. In the present study, unique and shared cultural elements in connection to traditional herbal medicine were examined through investigation of the diversity of medicinal plants. Moreover, attempts have been made to determine similarities among the society in the medicinal plants they have used in general and in medicinal plant species considered culturally most important. Methods In a study that involved 320 randomly sampled informants, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation were used and qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Descriptive statistics, rank order priority (ROP), informant consensus factor, Jaccard similarity coefficient, and clustering were used for data analysis. Results A total of 244 medicinal plant species and a fungal species used to treat human and/or livestock ailments were documented. The number of plants (80 plants, 33 %) with ROP value greater than 50% were considerably fewer than that of plants with ROP < 50% (164, 67 %). Jaccard similarity index and clustering analysis for all cited plants, among the respective studied districts, indicated that grouping generally followed the existing ethnic origin. On the contrary, clustering based on culturally important medicinal plant species (80 plant species, score ROP ≥ 50%) showed the influence of proximity and geographical orientation rather than ethnic relation. Conclusions Culturally, most important plants (80 spp.) are widely used and best shared with nearby communities and this could imply current (new) knowledge being practiced in the communities. This knowledge must be documented and better utilized in a modern way including modernized use of traditional medicinal plants.

Societal Impact Statement Enset is a staple food for over 20 million people via its starch‐rich corm and pseudostem, yet it is virtually unknown outside a narrow zone of cultivation in southern Ethiopia. Due to acculturation and urbanization coupled with climate change, emerging pests and the introduction of new crops, the extensive indigenous knowledge associated with this crop is in danger of being lost, imperilling the future food security and prosperity of millions of Ethiopians. Here, we synthesize the current state of enset ethnobotanical research, identifying key gaps and challenges, and provide a framework for further enset research to safeguard this important, but neglected, tropical crop. Summary Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is the major starch staple of the Ethiopian Highlands, where its unique attributes enhance the food security of approximately 20 million people and have earned it the title “The Tree Against Hunger”. Yet enset‐based agriculture is virtually unknown outside of its narrow zone of cultivation, despite growing wild across much of East and Southern Africa. Here, we review historical production data to show that the area of land under enset production in Ethiopia has reportedly increased 46% in two decades, whilst yield increased 12‐fold over the same period, making enset the second most produced crop species in Ethiopia—though we critically evaluate potential issues with these data. Furthermore, we address a major challenge in the development and wider cultivation of enset, by reviewing and synthesizing the complex and fragmented agronomic and ethnobotanic knowledge associated with this species; including farming systems, processing methods, products, medicinal uses and cultural importance. Finally, we provide a framework to improve the quality, consistency and comparability of data collected across culturally diverse enset‐based agricultural systems to enhanced sustainable use of this neglected starch staple. In conclusion, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for enset cultivation beyond its restricted distribution, and the regional food security potential it could afford smallholders elsewhere in Southern and East Africa.

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a multipurpose crop extensively cultivated in southern and southwestern Ethiopia for human food, animal feed, and fiber. It has immense contributions to the food security and rural livelihoods of 20 million people. Several distinct enset landraces are cultivated for their uses in traditional medicine. These landraces are vulnerable to various human-related activities and environmental constraints. The genetic diversity among the landraces is not verified to plan conservation strategy. Moreover, it is currently unknown whether medicinal landraces are genetically differentiated from other landraces. Here, we characterize the genetic diversity of medicinal enset landraces to support effective conservation and utilization of their diversity. We evaluated the genetic diversity of 51 enset landraces, of which 38 have reported medicinal value. A total of 38 alleles across the 15 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci and a moderate level of genetic diversity (He = 0.47) were detected. Analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA) revealed that only 2.4% of the total genetic variation was contributed by variation among the medicinal and non-medicinal groups of landraces, with an FST of 0.024. A neighbor-joining tree showed four separate clusters with no correlation to the use-values of the landraces. Except for two, all “medicinal” landraces with distinct vernacular names were found to be genetically different, showing that vernacular names are a good indicator of genetic distinctiveness in these specific groups of landraces. The discriminant analysis of the principal components also confirmed the absence of distinct clustering between the two groups. We found that enset landraces were clustered irrespective of their use-value, showing no evidence for genetic differentiation between the enset grown for ‘medicinal’ uses and non-medicinal landraces. This suggests that enset medicinal properties may be restricted to a more limited number of genotypes, might have resulted from the interaction of genotype with the environment or management practice, or partly misreported. The study provides baseline information that promotes further investigations in exploiting the medicinal value of these specific landraces.

This study aimed to assess community perceptions towards invasion of Prosopis juliflora, utilization, and its control options in Afar region, Northern Ethiopia. Using purposive sampling and stratified random methods, 20 members of key informants and 154 households from four sites of Awash Fentale and Amibara Districts were selected. For data analysis, we used Kruskal Wallis non-parametric tests of K independent samples. About 30% of respondents in Amibara and 29% in Awash Fentale reported that Prosopis juliflora was largely introduced into their landscape by livestock. It showed that 29% of the respondents in Awash Fentale and 41% in Amibara responded that Prosopis juliflora largely invaded and affected rangelands. Morevover, about 1% of respondents in Awash Fentale and 14% in Amibara argued that Prosopis juliflora hindered movements of livestock. In addition, 30% of respondents in Amibara and 29% in Awash Fentale believe that Prosopis juliflora was largely dispersed by livestock. It showed that 20% of households in Awash Fentale and 41% in Amibara have the notion that Prosopis juliflora majorly impacted rangelands. Whereas 1.3% of respondents in Awash Fentale and 14% in Amibara argued that Prosopis juliflora have hampered the movement of livestock. Thus, the afromentioned findings are implications for management of rangelands. With regard to the control of Prosopis juliflora invasions, 12% of respondents in Awash Fentale and 33% in Amibara District tried control its expansion by fire. About 10% of respondents in Awash Fentale and 9% in Amibara district managed Prosopis juliflora expansion by its utilization, whereas, in Awash Fentale (11%) and Amibara (8%) households indicated that invasion of Prosopis juliflora could be controlled by mechanical methods. It is advisable to do some managerial work to reverse these impacts as perceived by local communities in the study area to avert the aggressive proliferation of Prosopis juliflora in the region.

Protected areas are the most commonly used tool for in situ conservation of biodiversity. Selective removal of species proposed by the local communities living surrounding the national park and grazing pressure negatively affect the composition, structure, and regeneration of woody species. Assessment of vegetation structure and regeneration status of woody species is essential for orienting management activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the floristic composition, population structure, and regeneration status of woody species in the Loka Abaya National Park, to design conservation strategies. A total of 99, 20 m × 20 m quadrats were systematically laid along an established line transect to collect a list of woody species, abundance, height, and diameter at breast height (DBH), while five 3 m × 3 m subquadrats within the main quadrats were established to assess the regeneration status of woody species. In each quadrat, all woody species were identified, counted, and recorded. In each quadrat, all tree and shrub species higher than ≥2 m in height and ≥2 cm in diameter at breast height were measured by a calibrated wooden stick and by a caliper, respectively. Density, frequency, basal area, importance value index (IVI), height, and diameter at breast height (DBH) were used for description of vegetation structure, while the density of mature trees, saplings, and seedlings was used for assessment of regeneration status of woody species. A total of 101 woody plant species representing 40 families in 69 genera were collected, identified, and documented. Fabaceae was the most diverse family representing 16 (15.84%) species, followed by Euphorbiaceae 9 species (8.91%) and Anacardiaceae with 6 species (5.94%). Four families including Combretaceae, Moraceae, Olacaceae, and Tiliaceae were represented by 4 species each. 4 families were also represented by 3 species each, 12 families were represented by two species each, and 18 families were represented by one species. The density of trees was 831.31 individuals ha−1, while the total basal area was 73.18 m2·ha−1. D. angustifolia, C. molle, E. schimperi, R. natalensis, O. europaea L. subsp. cuspidataD. cinerea, A. brevispica, I. mitis, and E. tirucalli were ecologically important woody species. The majority (75%) of woody plant species had a less than 5% importance value index (IVI). The diameter class distribution of selected tree species demonstrated various patterns of population structure, implying the existence of different population dynamics among ecologically important tree species. The regeneration assessment results demonstrate that 32.35% had poor regeneration, 19.12% had good regeneration, 16.17% had fair regeneration, 8.82% lacked regeneration, and 14.08% appeared as newly regenerated species in the national park. The majority of woody species had a small population size, and some of them were found in specific habitats which need attention for conservation, and those woody species lack regeneration study soil seed bank and propagation methods for sustainable conservation.

Abstract Background People’s classification, management, and use of plants represent attempt to attracting people from different academic disciplines. Many countries use traditional medicine for their primary healthcare system. Medicinal plants have been important components of healthcare systems since the time immemorial. The objective of this research was to document and analyze traditional medicinal plants used by the Sheka people and associated ethnobotanical knowledge. Methods Data was collected by administering pre-prepared semi-structured interview items to 414 informants. Market surveys, group discussion, and guided field walk were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics; determination of informant consensus factor, fidelity level, as well as ranking and scoring. Results A total of 266 plant species belonging to 192 genera and 74 families were identified. About 204 (77%) of the medicinal plants were used to treat human health problems. Only ten (4%) were used to treat livestock health problems and 52 (19%) of them were used to treat both human and livestock health problems. Croton macrostachyus, Prunus africana, Peperomia retusa, Lobelia giberroa, and Celosia schweinfurthiana were found to be high ranking medicinal plants against gastrointestinal problems based on simple preference ranking. Conclusion Very high number of medicinal plant species recorded from the study area indicates that vegetation of Sheka is reservoir of medicinal plants. Hence, the area needs attention for medicinal plant conservation priorities. Plant parts used as medicines also play vital role in the entire medicinal plant life cycle. Therefore, it is useful to consider harvesting impacts. Except well-experienced traditional healers, people of the study area use the medicinal plants haphazardly. There may be high risk of being victims of dosage and improper usage. High ranking medicinal plants are candidates for further phytochemical profiling, drug research, and development.

The aim of this research is to investigate the patterns of vascular plant species richness, diversity, and distribution along an elevation gradient in the Abune Yosef mountain range, Ethiopia. Preferential systematic sampling was employed to collect vegetation and environmental data along the elevation gradient. We found that plant species richness declines monotonically from low to high elevations. Specifically, vascular plant species richness and diversity were lower in the Afroalpine grassland (high elevation) than in the Dry evergreen Afromontane forest and Ericaceous forest (low elevations). In contrast, endemic vascular plant richness was significantly higher in the Afroalpine grassland than in the Dry evergreen Afromontane forest and Ericaceous forest. Elevation showed a significant impact on the richness, diversity, and endemism of vascular plants. According to Sørensen's coefficient, the similarity between Dry evergreen Afromontane forest and Ericaceous forest vegetation types is higher (32%) than the similarity between Ericaceous forest and Afroalpine grassland (18%). Only 5% similarity was recorded between the Dry evergreen Afromontane forest and Afroalpine grassland. Growth forms showed different elevational richness patterns. Trees and liana increased monotonically up to 3300 m. Shrub and herb richness patterns followed a hump-shaped and inverted hump-shaped pattern along the elevation gradient. The elevation patterns of vascular plant species richness, diversity, and growth form in the present study may be attributed to differences in management intensity, spatial heterogeneity, microclimatic variations, and anthropogenic disturbances. Keywords: Afroalpine, Church forest, Diversity, Elevation gradient, Plant community, Species richness

In Ethiopia, wild edible plants (WEPs) offer a natural food supply for humans to alleviate food insecurity and hunger. Despite the extensive usage of WEPs in Ethiopia, there have been few investigations on their nutritional composition. Our study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity and anti-nutritional factors of the most commonly consumed WEPs in Northeastern Ethiopia. The antioxidant parameters including total phenol, total flavonoid, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay contents and the anti-nutritional parameters including oxalate, phytate and tannin contents of the selected seven WEPs were evaluated using standard food analysis techniques. The total phenol (mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoid (mg QE/100 g) content of WEPs resulted in ranges of 0.79–17.02 and 2.27–7.12, respectively. The antioxidant activity revealed that leaves of Amaranthus hybridus and Rumex nervosus have the highest DPPH and FRAP value, scavenging 50% of free radicals under 50 µg/mL. Non-food values resulted in the respective ranges of 3.37–11.73 mg/100 g oxalate, 16.31–165 µg/100 g phytate and 1.38–5.49 mg/100 g tannin. The investigation indicates that the antioxidant activity of WEPs under research was higher than common crops, and the non-food values were laid in the safe limit, indicating that these might be used for making more healthy and nutritious foods.

Although keystone species in the home garden agroforestry system provide multiple contributions to people, they have not been thoroughly researched, particularly in indigenous crops. Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a domesticated home garden perennial crop in large parts of southern Ethiopia. This study explores the diverse contributions of enset in the Gurage socio-ecological production landscape in Ethiopia through geospatial, field surveys, and biophysical measurements. Nature's contribution to people (NCP) assessment framework has been considered to explore the societal benefits of the enset crop, and more than 25 contributions are identified in the landscape. Every part of the crop is essential for the local people. The range of contributions extends from food for humans and feeds for livestock to climate regulations and soil enrichment. Enset is a cultural asset of the community and contributes to enhancing the aesthetic quality of the landscape. However, their diverse uses have been decreasing due to socioeconomic changes and the lack of technological innovations. This decline can result in the loss of the home garden system, which eventually puts the community's food security at risk and the regulating and nonmaterial benefits being degraded. This study integrated the diverse tools to overcome the limited approaches of NCP assessment and scanned solutions for the sustainability of the enset farming system and to transform the food security in the region. Exploring such types of keystone species' diverse roles has indispensable for a better understanding of the agroecosystem's contributions and to drive transformative strategies for environmental sustainability.

Plant community types are influenced by topographic factors, the physical and chemical properties of soil. Therefore, the study was carried out to investigate the relationships of soil and topographic factors on the distribution of species and plant community formation of the Dega Damot district in Northwestern Ethiopia. Vegetation and environmental data were collected from 86 plots (900 m2). Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) with R software were used to identify plant communities and analyze the relationship between plant community types and environmental variables. Five plant community types were identified: Erica arborea-Osyris quadripartita, Discopodium penninervium-Echinops pappii, Olea europaea -Scolopia theifolia, Euphorbia abyssinica-Prunus africana, Dodonaea anguistifolia-Acokanthera schimperi. The RDA result showed that the variation of species distribution and plant community formation were significantly related to altitude, organic matter, moisture content, slope, sand, pH, EC, total nitrogen and phosphorus. Our results suggest that the variation of plant communities (Community 1, 2, 3, and 4) were closely related to environmental factors, including altitude, moisture content, OM, slope, sand, pH, EC, soil nitrogen, and phosphorus, among which altitude was the most important one. However, all the measured environmental variables are not correlated to Dodonaea anguistifolia-Acokanthera schimperi community type. Therefore, it can be concluded that some other environmental variables may influence the species composition, which is needed to be further investigated.

There are 46 Aloe species identified from Ethiopia out of which 67.3% are endemics but comprehensive data on their ethno-medicinal and bio-cultural values are lacking. Interview, focus group discussion (FGD), and guided field walks were conducted with 210 respondents (152 men and 58 women). Relative frequency of citation (RFCs), informants' consensus factor (Fic), use value (UVs), relative importance index (RIs), and cultural value index (CV) were analyzed. Non-parametric Kruskal Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were performed using R software. Twenty-three Aloe species were recorded in the study areas with 196 use-reports and 2158 citations, grouped into six major use categories (NUC = 6). Medicinal use categories accounted for 149 use-reports (76%) with 1607 citations. The species with the highest numbers of use-reports were Aloe megalacantha subsp. alticola, A. trichosantha subsp. longiflora and A. calidophila of which 87, 75 and 61.1% respectively were medicinal uses. Aloe calidophila has highest values in all indices UV (11.72), RFC (0.68), RI (0.89), and CV (6.2). Among Aloe parts, leaf exudate accounted for 111 use-reports (49.1%) of which 92.9% were used for medicinal purposes. Aloe retrospiciens and A. ruspoliana were reported poisonous to carnivores. Fic values of the six major use categories ranged from 0.86 to 0.22. Elderly people (>60) had more knowledge than 25–40 and 41–60 age groups (Kruskal-Wallis chi-squared = 12.17, df = 3, p = 0.006), which is significant difference in depth of ethno-medicinal knowledge. Men had more knowledge of medicinal uses than women (Wilcoxon test, p = 0.002) significantly different, while women were knowledgeable than men for cultural uses like, cosmetic (Wilcoxon test, p = 0.06), not significantly different. The ways in which aloes are used and valued have implications for their future medicinal utility, which instigate detailed phytochemical and pharmacological studies.

Abstract Introduction Soil is the major reservoir of organic carbon. There is a paucity of soil organic carbon (SOC) stock data of afroalpine and sub-afroalpine vegetation in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was conducted to estimate the SOC stock and correlate it with soil physicochemical properties in Abune Yosef afroalpine and sub-afroalpine vegetation. Systematic sampling was employed to collect soil samples from upper 30 cm. Dry bulk density soil pH (1:2.5 water); organic carbon (Walkley and Black), and total nitrogen (Kjeldahl) were the methods used for soil analysis. Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis were performed in SPSS 24 statistical software. Results The SOC stock of the study area was found to be 79.57 t C ha−1. Soil organic carbon stock showed statistically significant positive correlation with vegetation type (r = 0.522, p

The allelopathic effects of the invasive Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. was studied on seed germination and seedling growth of Acacia nilotica(L.) Willd. ex Del., Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne, Cenchrus ciliaris L. and Enteropogon rupestris (J.A. Schmidt) A. Chev. Vegetation sampling in different habitat types in the area was made to identify the target plant species. Comparison of canopy characteristics among P. juliflora, A. nilotica and A. tortilis was also made to observe differences if any in canopy closure. P. juliflora was recorded in all habitat types in highest density and observed affecting the plant diversity there in. Its growth characteristics and dense thicket formation restrict light to the ground flora and hence diminishes plant diversity. Leaf, bark and root aqueous extract of P. juliflora at 0, 0.5, 0.8, 1, 2 and 6% wereprepared and their effect studied on germination percentage and seedling growth of the study plant species. Germination of A. nilotica and A. tortilis was not affected by all aqueous extracts of different organ parts of P. juliflora while leaf and root extracts at higher concentrations inhibited germination of C. ciliaris and E. rupestris. Shoot and root growth of the study species were inhibited by leaf and root at higher concentrations. Seed germination of all species except A. nilotica was inhibited by soil amended with decaying plant parts and under canopy soil. The effect is species specific and annuals (grasses and herbs) were affected more than perennials. Leaf seems to contain greater number/amount of inhibitors than does root and bark. Bark seems to contain the least. Heavy accumulation of toxic substances at under canopy soil of P. juliflora may be one of the reasons for its invasiveness and low plant diversity.

The study was conducted at the Awash National Park (ANP) Ethiopia, todocument Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and to assess the spread of Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. A total of 64 sample plots were laid systematically along the altitudinal gradient of 750 to 1916 m.Potential IAS were recorded. IAS which may threaten biodiversity of the park includes species such as Prosopis juliflora, Parthenium hysterophorus L., Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R. Br., Parkinsonia aculeata L., Senna occidentalis (L.) Link, Datura ferox L. and Xanthium strumarium L. Except P. juliflora and P. hysterophorus, all others were not recorded in Ethiopia as IAS. P.juliflora was recorded in three plots with cover of 1% to 10%. P. juliflora was also found spread in different parts of the park particularly following the route of cattle movement. P. hysterophoruswas recorded in and around nine sample plots. Plot 46, 47 and 48 werehighly infested by P. hysterophorus which covered more than 60, 70 and 80% of the ground layer respectively. C. grandiflora was recorded in 11 plots with cover ranging from 1% to 35%. In view of all the natural as well as anthropogenic threats to the biodiversity of the Park, the ANP is at high risk. The rich biodiversity needsimmediate management intervention.

After a long incubation period, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is now underway. Underpinning all its activities is the IPBES Conceptual Framework (CF), a simplified model of the interactions between nature and people. Drawing on the legacy of previous large-scale environmental assessments, the CF goes further in explicitly embracing different disciplines and knowledge systems (including indigenous and local knowledge) in the co-construction of assessments of the state of the world's biodiversity and the benefits it provides to humans. The CF can be thought of as a kind of "Rosetta Stone" that highlights commonalities between diverse value sets and seeks to facilitate crossdisciplinary and crosscultural understanding. We argue that the CF will contribute to the increasing trend towards interdisciplinarity in understanding and managing the environment. Rather than displacing disciplinary science, however, we believe that the CF will provide new contexts of discovery and policy applications for it.

Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 1996, 10(1), 74-88.