SWFLG Briefing Notes 15: Biodiversity Assessment - Sheko Forest, South West Ethiopia

The Wild Coffee Conservation by Participatory Forest Management (WCC-PFM) Project (2010-2016) is testing an innovative approach to in situ conservation of wild Coffea arabica using Participatory Forest Management (PFM) with the aim of maintaining the forest and its biodiversity in Sheko district, southwest Ethiopia, including the Amora Gedel and Kontir Birhan forests. An assessment of woody species was conducted to assess the impact of the PFM approach to maintaining the biodiversity of the forest. Data was collected from 82 plots in 2015 which overlapped with an equivalent study undertaken in 2010. Woody species density was found to have increased over this time period in all diameter classes in the natural forest, as had the number of species found, demonstrating a positive contribution by PFM to the maintenance of biodiversity and the conservation of the wild Coffea arabica gene pool in the natural forest. In contrast, there has been a decline in biodiversity in the coffee forest where selective management practices have manipulated the forest to favour coffee

The potential of Ethiopian medicinal plants to treat emergent viral diseases

Ethiopians have deep-rooted traditions of using plants to treat ailments affecting humans and domesticated animals. Approximately 80% of the population continues to rely on traditional medicine, including for the prevention and treatment of viral diseases. Many antiviral plants are available to and widely used by communities in areas where access to conventional healthcare systems is limited. In some cases, pharmacological studies also confirm the potent antiviral properties of Ethiopian plants. Building on traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and testing their antiviral properties may help to expand options to address the global pandemic of COVID-19 including its recently isolated virulent variants and prepare for similar outbreaks in the future. Here, we provide an ethnobotanical and pharmacological inventory of Ethiopian medicinal plants that might contribute to the prevention and treatment of viral diseases. We identified 387 species, about 6% of Ethiopia\u27s known flora, for which records of use by local communities and traditional herbalists have been documented for the treatment of viral diseases. We provide a framework for further investigation and development of this vital resource much anticipated to help combat emergent viral diseases along with existing ones in Ethiopia and elsewhere. © 2023 The Authors. Phytotherapy Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: A Synopsis of Coordinated National Crop Wild Relative Seed Collecting Programs across Five Continents

The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project set out to improve the diversity, quantity, and accessibility of germplasm collections of crop wild relatives (CWR). Between 2013 and 2018, partners in 25 countries, heirs to the globetrotting legacy of Nikolai Vavilov, undertook seed collecting expeditions targeting CWR of 28 crops of global significance for agriculture. Here, we describe the implementation of the 25 national collecting programs and present the key results. A total of 4587 unique seed samples from at least 355 CWR taxa were collected, conserved ex situ, safety duplicated in national and international genebanks, and made available through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). Collections of CWR were made for all 28 targeted crops. Potato and eggplant were the most collected genepools, although the greatest number of primary genepool collections were made for rice. Overall, alfalfa, Bambara groundnut, grass pea and wheat were the genepools for which targets were best achieved. Several of the newly collected samples have already been used in pre-breeding programs to adapt crops to future challenges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Plant Diversity in Western Ethiopia : Ecology, Ethnobotany and Conservation

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the ecology and ethnobotany of vegetation in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State (BGRS), western Ethiopia. The studies reported in this thesis have confirmed the existence of 1102 vascular plant species in BGRS. The region has, therefore, comparable vascular plant diversity to other floristic regions in Ethiopia. The study, which was carried out using classification and ordination techniques, revealed the existence of five plant comminutes and enabled to identify environmental variables that are structuring the plant composition. These plant communities could be used in conservation planning in BGRS. Potential threats to the vegetation were identified and found to increase with altitude. The study on Tgetes patula has revealed that the species has several characters that might facilitate invasiveness and may be considered as a threat to the natural landscapes in the absence of woodland fire to which the vegetation in the region is adapted. The result of the ethnobotanical study revealed that the people in BGRS and Kafa depend on diverse plant species which are mainly collected from wild population (ca. 70%). Over harvesting of wild plants that give immediate economic return, may increase the burden on wild plant populations. Such findings give hints for prioritization of plant species for in-situ and ex-situ conservation. In conclusion, this thesis has improved to the understanding of the imperfectly known vegetation in BGRS and medicinal plants used by Kafficho people

Contribution of the Ethiopian flora project to the Ethiopian plant biodiversity conservation and sustainable use

Customary, exclusionary and inclusionary conservation approaches in Ethiopia are highlighted in relation to the historical aspects of conservation in general and plant biodiversity conservation in particular. Currently, plant biodiversity conservation is one of the mandates of the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI). EBI has expanded its activities from ex situ conservation to in situ conservation since Ethiopia became signatory to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) with the expansion of its mandates. In this paper, the need of Floras and authenticated plant specimens for conservation efforts of EBI and the contribution of the Ethiopian Flora Project to Ethiopian plant diversity conservation are discussed. Finally, among many joint projects executed by EBI and the National Herbarium (ETH), two are discussed

An ecological study of the vegetation of Gambella Region, Southwestern Ethiopia

The vegetation of Gambella Region, southwestern Ethiopia, has been studied through five field trips made between October 14, 1995 and October 10, 1996. Systematic sampling method was used to select homogenous vegetation stands. Cover/abundance data was recorded for all plants from a total of 58 relevès. For each relevè, environmental data on topographic factors (altitude and slope), and soil from a depth of 0—10 cm (topsoil) and 40—50 cm (subsoil) were collected. The soil samples were analyzed for pH, texture, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium and sodium. The species and relevès were classified using a fortran computer program twinspan and seven major plant communities were described. Five plant communities were found to have phytogeographical affinity to the Sudanian vegetation type while two are affiliated to the Guineo-Congolian vegetation type of Africa. Comparison of the community types was made using anova to find whether there are statistically significant variations in environmental factors. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science Volume 24, No. 2 (December 2001), pp. 213-228 Key words/phrases: Ethiopia, Gambella Region, phytogeographic affinity, phytosociology, plant communitie

Survey and documentation of the potential and actual invasive alien plant species and other biological threats to biodiversity in Awash National Park, Ethiopia

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