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Abstract:The objective of this study was to analyze land use/land cover (LULC) changes in the landscape of Munessa-Shashemene area of the Ethiopian highlands over a period of 39 years . Satellite images of Landsat MSS (1973), TM (1986), ETM+ (2000, and RapidEye (2012) were used. All images were classified using object-based image classification technique. Accuracy assessments were conducted for each reference year. Change analysis was carried out using post classification comparison in GIS. Nine LULCs were successfully captured with overall accuracies ranging from 85.7% to 93.2% and Kappa statistic of 0.822 to 0.924. The classification result revealed that grasslands (42.3%), natural forests (21%), and woodlands (11.4%) were dominant LULC types in 1973. In 2012, croplands (48.5%) were the major LULC types followed by others. The change result shows that a rapid reduction in woodland cover of 81.8%, 52.3%, and 36.1% occurred between the first (1973-1986), second (1986-2000), and third (2000-2012) study periods, respectively. Similarly, natural forests cover decreased by 26.1% during the first, 21.1% during the second, and 24.4% during the third periods. Grasslands also declined by 11.9, 17.5, and 21.1% during the three periods, respectively. On the contrary, croplands increased in all three periods by 131, 31.5, and 22.7%, respectively. Analysis of the 39-year change matrix revealed that about 60% of the land showed changes in LULC. Changes were OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2013, 5 2412 also common along the slope gradient and agro-ecological zones with varying proportions. Further study is suggested to investigate detailed drivers and consequences of changes.

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An ethnomedicinal study was conducted to document the indigenous medicinal plant knowledge and use by traditional healers in southwestern Ethiopia from December 2005 to November 2006. Data were collected from 45 randomly selected traditional healers using semi-structured interviews and observations. Sixty-seven ethnomedicinal plant species used by traditional healers to manage 51 different human ailments were identified and documented. Healers' indigenous knowledge was positively correlated with their reported age but not with their educational level. High degree of consensus was observed among traditional healers in treating tumor (locally known as Tanacha), rabies (Dhukuba Seree) and insect bite (Hadhaa). The use of more than one species was significantly cited for remedy preparations. The reported abundance of the ethnomedicinal plant species varied significantly with respect to the presence of multiple uses of the reported species. Our results showed that ethnomedicinal plant species used by healers are under serious threat due to several factors, which indicates the need for urgent attention towards their conservation and sustainable utilization.

A study was conducted in Tara Gedam and Abebaye forests l, northwestern Ethiopia to investigate the diversity, regeneration status, socio-economic importance and the factors causing destruction of the forests. A total of 30 plots, measuring 20 m ×20 m, were established along line transects laid across the forests. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) method was employed to generate the socio-economic data. Primary data were collected by field observation, semi-structured interview with key informants and discussion with relevant stakeholders. A total of 143 woody species belonging to 114 genera and 57 families were recorded, and of all the species 44 (30.8%) were trees, 57 (39.9%) trees/shrubs, 33 (23.1%) shrubs and 9 (6.3%) lianas. The diversity and evenness of woody species in Tara Gedam forest are 2.98 and 0.65, respectively, and in Abebaye forest they are 1.31 and 0.31, respectively. The total density and basal area of woody species in Tara Gedam forest are 3001 individuals⋅ha -1 and 115.36 m 2 ⋅ha -1 , respectively, and in Abebaye forest the values are 2850 individuals⋅ha -1 and 49.45 m 2 ⋅ha -1 , respectively. The results on the importance value index (IVI) and DBH class distributions suggest that the species with low IVI value and poor regeneration status need to be prioritized for conservation. In the socio-economic survey, the responses from the key informants indicated The online version is available at Responsible editor: Yu Lei that the forests are the major sources of fuelwood (90%), construction material (80%), timber (75%) and farm implements (55%). The forests are also sources of medicines, animal fodder, bee forage and edible fruits. Tara Gedam monastery, assisted by the local people who have strong religious belief and high respect to the monastery, has played a great role in the maintenance of the sacred forest since a long time. At present, the conservation efforts are made jointly by the monastery and institutions concerned with conservation. The major factors that cause destruction of the forests are livestock grazing, tree cutting for various purposes and farmland expansion. The implications of the results are discussed, and the recommendations are suggested for conservation, management and sustainable utilization of the forest ecosystems.