Low-altitude lakes in eastern Africa have long been investigated and have provided valuable information about the Late Quaternary paleohydrological evolution, such as the African Humid Period. However, records often suffer from poor age... more
Low-altitude lakes in eastern Africa have long been investigated and have provided valuable information about the Late Quaternary paleohydrological evolution, such as the African Humid Period. However, records often suffer from poor age control, resolution, and/or ambiguous proxy interpretation, and only little focus has been put on high-altitude regions despite their sensitivity to global, regional, and local climate change phenomena. Here we report on Last Glacial environmental fluctuations at about 4000 m asl on the Sanetti Plateau in the Bale Mountains (SE Ethiopia), based on biogeochemical and palynological analyses of laminated lacustrine sediments. After deglaciation at about 18 cal kyr BP, a steppe-like herb-rich grassland with maximum Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae and Plantago existed. Between 16.6 and 15.7 cal kyr BP, conditions were dry with a desiccation layer at ~ 16.3 cal kyr BP, documenting a temporary phase of maximum aridity on the plateau. While that local event las...
Research Interests: Physical Geography, Geology, Palynology, Holocene, Westerlies, and 3 moreDeglaciation, Arid, and Steppe
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This research was done in Arsi-Bale Massif remnant vegetation of southeast Ethiopia to investigate vascular plant diversity and endemism in forest patch, riverine, and grazing land-use types. A total of 126 quadrats, each with 900 m2... more
This research was done in Arsi-Bale Massif remnant vegetation of southeast Ethiopia to investigate vascular plant diversity and endemism in forest patch, riverine, and grazing land-use types. A total of 126 quadrats, each with 900 m2 (30 m × 30 m), were selected systematically along the altitudinal gradient. Shannon Weiner Diversity index and R Package 3.2 were applied to analyze species composition and diversity, whereas the similarity ratio among land use and other related vegetation was determined using Sorensen’s index. From the study, 382 vascular plant species under 223 genera and 92 families were identified. The growth forms revealed that there were 118 woody (26 trees, 10 lianas, and 82 shrubs) and 239 herbaceous species of plant. Of these, 216, 165, and 154 species are shared by riverine, forest patch, and grazing land-use types, respectively. Asteraceae with 68 species was the most dominant family in the present study, followed by Poaceae, Lamiaceae, and Cyperaceae with 30...
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Additional file 1.
Appendix 4. Schedule for semi-structured interview. (DOC 31Â kb)
<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana Angetu District, southeastern Ethiopia"http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/4/1/10Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine... more
<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana Angetu District, southeastern Ethiopia"http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/4/1/10Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2008;4():10-10.Published online 28 Apr 2008PMCID:PMC2391147.
Background: The Dryland area in Ethiopia contributes large vegetation resources. However, the landmass has received less attentioneven if it has high ecological, environmental and economic importance. The present study was conducted in... more
Background: The Dryland area in Ethiopia contributes large vegetation resources. However, the landmass has received less attentioneven if it has high ecological, environmental and economic importance. The present study was conducted in Hirmi forest, which is one of the dry forest in Northwestern, Ethiopia; to study the floristic composition, plant community types, community-environment relation, vegetation structure and regeneration status of the forest.Method: Vegetation and environmental data were collected from 80 sampling plots having equal size of 25m×25m were designated as the main plots. Within the main plot, five 2mx2m subplots were laid to record seedlings, saplings, and herbaceous species. Furthermore, within each subplot, soil samples were collected to analyze the relationship of edaphic parameters with the plant community. DBH, height, BA, density, vertical structure and frequency were computed. Floristic diversity and evenness were computed using Shannon diversity and E...
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Despite the fact that the vegetation pattern and history of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia were reconstructed using pollen, little is known about the former extent of Erica species. The main objective of the present study is to identify... more
Despite the fact that the vegetation pattern and history of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia were reconstructed using pollen, little is known about the former extent of Erica species. The main objective of the present study is to identify unambiguous chemical proxies from plant-derived phenolic compounds to characterize Erica and other keystone species. Mild alkaline CuO oxidation has been used to extract sixteen phenolic compounds. After removal of undesired impurities, individual phenols were separated by gas chromatography and were detected by mass spectrometry. While conventional phenol ratios such as syringyl vs. vanillyl and cinnamyl vs. vanillyl and hierarchical cluster analysis of phenols failed for unambiguous Erica identification, the relative abundance of coumaryl phenols (>0.20) and benzoic acids (0.05—0.12) can be used as a proxy to distinguish Erica from other plant species. Moreover, a Random Forest decision tree based on syringyl phenols, benzoic acids (>0.06), c...
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IntroductionPeople all over the world have been using medicinal plants to treat various ailments and diseases throughout history. It is still common in developing countries. Because is easily accessible, affordable, and trusted by the... more
IntroductionPeople all over the world have been using medicinal plants to treat various ailments and diseases throughout history. It is still common in developing countries. Because is easily accessible, affordable, and trusted by the communities. Although there are several ethnobotanical studies on medicinal plants in Ethiopia, the number of medicinal plant species and indigenous knowledge documented is still low compared to the high diversity of culture and habitats.MethodsEthnobotanical data were collected during the 13th of February 2019 and the 26th of October 2020 through Semi-structured interviews, field observation, a guided field walk, and focus group discussionsResultthe study documented 142 medicinal plant species distributed in 125 genera and 56 families which used to treat 52 ailments. Most of these species were collected from wild habitats. The most used plant families were Fabaceae (14) followed by lamiaceae (9) and Solanaceae (9). Most of these medicinal plants were ...
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Converting degraded free grazing lands into exclosures is one option to promote natural regeneration of plants and to restore degraded ecosystems in Ethiopia. The present study was initiated with the objective of assessing the... more
Converting degraded free grazing lands into exclosures is one option to promote natural regeneration of plants and to restore degraded ecosystems in Ethiopia. The present study was initiated with the objective of assessing the determinants that affect the sustainability of exclosure establishment and management practices at the household level. A total of 180 households were systematically selected and a structured questionnaire was provided to these households to collect their perception. Ten in-depth interviews with key informants 9 FGDs were also carried out. Determinants of farmers’ sustainability of exclosure establishment and management practices were assessed. The empirical results from binary logistic regression model showed age, tenure, and offfarm activity were positive and significant predictors of sustainability of exclosure establishment and management practices while household size, farm size, distance and number of livestock have a negative effect on exclosure establi...
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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... more
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...
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Research Highlights: Hagenia abyssinica is geographically localized, poor regenerated and endangered species in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has been experiencing variability of rainfall and rise in temperature due to the climate change. This study... more
Research Highlights: Hagenia abyssinica is geographically localized, poor regenerated and endangered species in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has been experiencing variability of rainfall and rise in temperature due to the climate change. This study has hypothesized that the suitable areas for the species will be narrowed by the year 2070. Background and Objective The prediction of species distribution models help to implement appropriate conservation actions. The aim of this research was to identify the current and likely future distribution range and suitable areas for the species, and to determine the presence of H. absyssinica in risk in a short-term future. Material and method: To this end, occurrence data, bioclim variables, soil, elevation, and land cover map of Ethiopia were used. MaxEnt was used to predict distribution. Climate change impacts on the distribution of the species was performed using bioclimatic variables of the future climate data, 2070 (average for 2061-2080) was obtain...
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L'A. a mene une etude en ethnobotanique dans la region de Gambella (frontaliere avec le Soudan) en Ethiopie afin de relever les plantes non cultivees et non domestiquees et les savoirs indigenes sur leur nom et leurs usages.... more
L'A. a mene une etude en ethnobotanique dans la region de Gambella (frontaliere avec le Soudan) en Ethiopie afin de relever les plantes non cultivees et non domestiquees et les savoirs indigenes sur leur nom et leurs usages. L'objectif de cette etude est de contribuer au recueil des donnees sur les savoirs indigenes, de compiler une liste complete des plantes alimentaires non cultivees, d'identifier les plantes utilisees, et d'offrir quelques recommendations qui contribueront a developper une strategie pour la conservation des plantes alimentaires non cultivees.
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Background: Ethiopia is one of the biodiversity-rich countries in Africa. Most rural communities are highly dependent on forest products including edible wild plants. Thus, many plant taxa are under greater threats before they are... more
Background: Ethiopia is one of the biodiversity-rich countries in Africa. Most rural communities are highly dependent on forest products including edible wild plants. Thus, many plant taxa are under greater threats before they are documented and their nutritional values are evaluated. This study was carried out to document edible wild plants and associated indigenous practices, and the correlations with socio-demographic variables on edible wild plants in Ensaro district, North Shewa Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. It also examined the habitats and major threatening factors of edible wild plants.Methods: The study was conducted from September to December 2020 in Ensaro district, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Semi-structured interviews was made with 98 community members regarding edible wild plant species, parts used, harvesting and consumption time, preparation methods, supplementary uses, life forms, habitats and threatening factors. The socioeconomics characteristics of ...
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XRF, biogeochemical and pollen results of B4 depression sediments, Sanetti Plateau (Bale Mountains, Ethiopia)
An investigation of the seed composition of seed banks is ecologically important in predicting the initial composition of the pioneer vegetation in an area, particularly on exposed or cleared sites. This study was initiated with the... more
An investigation of the seed composition of seed banks is ecologically important in predicting the initial composition of the pioneer vegetation in an area, particularly on exposed or cleared sites. This study was initiated with the objectives of gaining more knowledge on the role of seed banks in stimulating vegetation regeneration leading to natural dry evergreen afromontane forest restoration, by analyzing their species composition and abundance and further investigates the difference on soil seed bank in exclosures and the adjacent free grazing areas. Soil seed bank density, diversity, vertical and horizontal distribution and composition were assessed by collecting 360 soil samples. The total numbers of species recovered from the soil samples collected in the study area were 47 for the exclosure and 39 for the free grazing area and totally 62 species. The total seed density in the upper nine centimeters both from seedling emergence and seed counting method was 1868 seeds m-2 for...
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... more
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 (...
Introduction: In Ethiopia, the majority of animal owners throughout the country depend on traditional healthcare practices to manage their animals’ health. Ethnoveterinary practices play significantly greater roles in livestock health... more
Introduction: In Ethiopia, the majority of animal owners throughout the country depend on traditional healthcare practices to manage their animals’ health. Ethnoveterinary practices play significantly greater roles in livestock health care as an alternative or integral part of modern veterinary practices. This is because traditional medicines have remained the most economically affordable and easily available form of therapies for resource-poor communities. Even although, ethnoveterinary medicine is the most important and has higher acceptance and trust by the community in Ethiopia, ethnoveterinary medicinal plants and associated indigenous practices are not adequately documented. This study aimed to identify and document ethnoveterinary medicinal plants with their associated indigenous practices along with the habitats of these plants in Ensaro district.Methods: This ethnobotanical survey included 389 informants (283 males and 106 females) from all 14 kebeles of Ensaro district, wh...
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Background; The floristic composition of homegardens in Northwest Ethiopia in general, and the Gozamin district in particular, has received little research attention. The purpose of this research is to better understand the floristic... more
Background; The floristic composition of homegardens in Northwest Ethiopia in general, and the Gozamin district in particular, has received little research attention. The purpose of this research is to better understand the floristic composition and cultural significance of homegardens. Methods; Stratified random sampling procedure was used based on agroecological variation in selected kebeles. The homegarden data were collected by dividing the homegarden into four quadrats, the first quadrat stretched from the farmer’s home to 10m, the second quadrat from10m to 20m, the third quadrat from 20m to 30m and the fourth quadrat from 30m to 40m horizontally using farmer’s house as reference depending on the size of the garden. A semi-structured interview was carried out to document the informant’s knowledge on plant species.Results; A total of 238 culturally important plant species from 81 families were identified. Of these 39% were herbs,29% shrubs, 6% were climbers. Perennials made up t...
Context: Dry Afromontane forests are the most altered and endangered ecosystems. Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the status of basal area, and vegetation structure of woody plant species in Debra-libanos Monastery forest patch... more
Context: Dry Afromontane forests are the most altered and endangered ecosystems. Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the status of basal area, and vegetation structure of woody plant species in Debra-libanos Monastery forest patch (DMFP) in Oromia Region. Fifty quadrats were placed on transects along altitudes using a systematic sampling design. Methods: Quadrats of 1m, ANALYSIS Vol. 20, 2019 Species ISSN 2319–5746 EISSN 2319–5754
On the Ground We analyzed the composition and spatial variations of soil seed banks of plant species and densities of soil seed banks in Prosopis juliflora invaded and noninvaded grasslands. Soil samples were collected from soil layers of... more
On the Ground We analyzed the composition and spatial variations of soil seed banks of plant species and densities of soil seed banks in Prosopis juliflora invaded and noninvaded grasslands. Soil samples were collected from soil layers of 0 to 3, 3 to 6, and 6 to 9 cm. The highest density of 1,037 ± 633 seedlings/m2 was recovered from a soil depth of 3 to 6 cm. But, the lowest density of 461 ± 315 seedlings/m2 was recovered from the depth of 0 to 3 cm. In noninvaded grasslands, the lowest density of 94 ± 32 seedlings/m2 was germinated in the soil depth of 0 to 3 cm. In Prosopis juliflora grasslands at the 3 to 6 cm, the density was 519 ± 257 seedlings/m2, but 1,484 ± 1,144 seedlings/m2 was in the noninvaded grasslands at the depth of 3 to 6 cm. Our findings have implications for recovery of rangelands after disturbances.
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Invasive species are species of all taxonomic groups whose spread outside their natural past or present distribution threaten the environment such that well-being of humans will ultimately be affected.1,2 Globally, alien plant invasions... more
Invasive species are species of all taxonomic groups whose spread outside their natural past or present distribution threaten the environment such that well-being of humans will ultimately be affected.1,2 Globally, alien plant invasions have major impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem services, agriculture, forestry, human welfare and the economy.3 Road sides, river courses, farmlands, irrigation canals, wetlands, grasslands, conservation areas and homesteads areas are the most severely invaded habitats in Afar region.4,5 Prosopis is dominating large areas of prime grazing land of Afar region. Consequently, nutrient rich palatable grasses, the main feed source for grazers are progressively outcompeted.6
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A floristic analysis of the natural vegetation was carried out in the Babile Elephant Sanctuary (BES), in semi-arid part of eastern Ethiopia. A total of 75 quadrats, each 400 m 2 , were analyzed following a stratified sampling design. A... more
A floristic analysis of the natural vegetation was carried out in the Babile Elephant Sanctuary (BES), in semi-arid part of eastern Ethiopia. A total of 75 quadrats, each 400 m 2 , were analyzed following a stratified sampling design. A total of 237 plant species, belonging to 155 genera and 57 families, were identified. Fabaceae was represented by the highest number of species (i.e., 36 species; 15.1%). Six community types were identified using the TWINSPAN program. These are: I. Tamarindus indica ; II. Acacia robusta ; III. Acacia seyal - Balanites aegyptiaca; IV. Acacia senegal - Acalypha fruticosa ; V. Terminalia brownii - Boswellia neglecta and VI. Acacia bussie - Grewia tenax types. A total basal area of 17.8 m2/ha, and a density of 385 ± 114.2 (S.E.) individuals ha-1 were calculated for 67 woody species (22 trees, 36 shrubs and 9 climbers); the mean density of trees was 32 ± 9.96, shrubs 619 ± 203.3 and climbers 315 ± 103.4 individuals ha -1 . A very high impact was imposed b...
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Species tend to shift their suitable habitat both altitudinally and latitudinally under climate change. Range shift in plants brings about habitat contraction at rear edges, forcing leading edge populations to explore newly available... more
Species tend to shift their suitable habitat both altitudinally and latitudinally under climate change. Range shift in plants brings about habitat contraction at rear edges, forcing leading edge populations to explore newly available suitable habitats. In order to detect these scenarios, modeling of the future geographical distribution of the species is widely used. Vachellia negrii (Pic.-Serm.) Kyal. & Boatwr. is endemic to Ethiopia and was assessed as vulnerable due to changes to its habitat by anthropogenic impacts. It occurs in upland wooded grassland from 2000–3100 m.a.s.l. The main objective of this study is to model the distribution of Vachellia negrii in Ethiopia by using Maxent under climate change. Nineteen bioclimatic variables were downloaded from an open source. Furthermore, topographic position index (tpi), solar radiation index (sri) and elevation were used. Two representative concentration pathways were selected (RCP 4.5 and RC P8.5) for the years 2050 and 2070 using...
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This study was carried out in the Dodola forest, Southern Ethiopia, to investigate the structure, reproductive biology, and regeneration status of Podocarpus falcatus. Based on their disturbance status, two blocks each having an area of... more
This study was carried out in the Dodola forest, Southern Ethiopia, to investigate the structure, reproductive biology, and regeneration status of Podocarpus falcatus. Based on their disturbance status, two blocks each having an area of 16 ha (400 m × 400 m) were laid in the forest to collect vegetation data. 16 plots (100 m × 100 m) and 256 subplots (25 m × 25 m) were established in each block. The population status of Podocarpus falcatus (dbh ≥ 5 cm) was assessed in the 256 subplots. The regeneration status of Podocarpus falcatus was also assessed around 40 randomly selected female trees isolated at least 10 m from any other female tree in each block. A total of 1363 Podocarpus falcatus individuals were recorded, with an average distribution of 43 individuals ha−1 and a higher proportion of small-sized individuals. The population structures of Podocarpus falcatus in the two blocks were a typical inverted J-shape pattern, indicating good regeneration and recruitment status of the s...
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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... more
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 o...
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Ethiopia aims to restore 15 million ha degraded forests and woodlands, but effects on the potentially contrasting goals of long-term carbon storage, biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods are unknown. To quantify the effects of grazing... more
Ethiopia aims to restore 15 million ha degraded forests and woodlands, but effects on the potentially contrasting goals of long-term carbon storage, biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods are unknown. To quantify the effects of grazing exclusion on vegetation and fire behaviour, we established six 30 × 30 m fenced exclosures with grazed controls, in a mesic wooded savanna. Experimental burns were done after 1.5 years. Tree seedlings were few but more common inside fences. Field layer cover and biomass increased inside fences, and grass species increased in numbers and cover. Fire intensity was higher inside fences, killing shrubs and saplings but not mature trees. Interviews confirmed that overgrazing has resulted in “cool fires”, causing shrub encroachment. High-intensity fires occurred in the 1980s after a zoonotic disease killed most livestock. Short-term increase in carbon storage through fire and grazing exclusion may lead to loss of pasture, and in the long-term increased wi...
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Abstract This study used Landsat TM, Landsat ETM +, and OLI data from 1986, 2003, and 2017, and topographic attributes derived from ASTER digital elevation model respectively, to map land use/land cover (LU/LC) in a predominantly... more
Abstract This study used Landsat TM, Landsat ETM +, and OLI data from 1986, 2003, and 2017, and topographic attributes derived from ASTER digital elevation model respectively, to map land use/land cover (LU/LC) in a predominantly agricultural region of northwestern highlands Ethiopia. LU/LC maps were created using supervised classification, and LU/LC change the mapping for the 1986–2003 and the 2003–2017 period determined using post-classification comparisons. The study found the proportion of agricultural land increased from 85.4% of the total area in 1986 to 93.3% in 2017. This increase coincided with a 3.5% decrease in a forested area, a 1.9% decrease in grazing land, and a 1.8% decrease in shrubland. The LU/LC changes mostly occurred in areas having a slope between 0 and 30°. This study has the potential to provide new and practical information for managers and planners for an infrequently studied region and contribute to the growing literature on the topographic factors for LU/LC changes.
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Studies of early human settlement in alpine environments provide insights into human physiological, genetic, and cultural adaptation potentials. Although Late and even Middle Pleistocene human presence has been recently documented on the... more
Studies of early human settlement in alpine environments provide insights into human physiological, genetic, and cultural adaptation potentials. Although Late and even Middle Pleistocene human presence has been recently documented on the Tibetan Plateau, little is known regarding the nature and context of early persistent human settlement in high elevations. Here, we report the earliest evidence of a prehistoric high-altitude residential site. Located in Africa’s largest alpine ecosystem, the repeated occupation of Fincha Habera rock shelter is dated to 47 to 31 thousand years ago. The available resources in cold and glaciated environments included the exploitation of an endemic rodent as a key food source, and this played a pivotal role in facilitating the occupation of this site by Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers.
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This first survey of rock shelters and settlements in the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia is a baseline assessment for further research into the settlement history of Africa’s largest alpine highlands. Extensive GPS-based mapping and... more
This first survey of rock shelters and settlements in the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia is a baseline assessment for further research into the settlement history of Africa’s largest alpine highlands. Extensive GPS-based mapping and interviews resulted in two detailed maps, a catalogue of profiles, and complete photographic documentation. In total, 331 rock shelters (four permanently inhabited, 51 seasonally inhabited, and 276 currently uninhabited) and 870 settlements (207 permanently inhabited, 449 seasonally inhabited, 214 uninhabited) were recorded together with information about the activities and livelihoods of the inhabitants of the current settlements. This 2015 study was part of the Ethiopian-European research project “The mountain exile hypothesis – how humans benefited from and re-shaped African high-altitude ecosystems during Quaternary climate changes” (DFG FOR 2358). It was designed to support future management plans in this internationally important conservation area that has recently faced increasing land-use pressure and the threat of degradation.