Introduction Indigenous people of different ethnic groups in Ethiopia are noticeably reliant on traditional medicinal plants for their healthcare due to their effective medicinal values. The study was aimed to document different herbal medicinal plants used and the associated knowledge of herbal medicine in the communities of the Artuma Fursi district. Methodology Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field observations, focused group discussions with the informants selected from the study area. Key informants were selected by purposive sampling technique, while the rest, were selected by random sampling techniques. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; paired comparison, preference ranking, and informant consensus factor. Results A total of 86 informants participated in the collection of the ethnobotanical data. A total of 92 medicinal plants were collected and identified. Fabaceae was the highest family cited (11.9%). The study revealed that leaves (31.1%), seeds (19.8%), and roots (12.26%) were the most cited plant parts used for the preparation of herbal medicine by the respondents. The most common method of preparation of herbal medicines was pounding (21.6%) and the most common route of administration was oral route (53.7%). The majority of the medications (60.3%) were prepared without the additive. Charcoal production was the major threat to medicinal plants in the study area. Conclusion Artuma Fursi district is rich in medicinal plant and the associated indigenous knowledge. The documented knowledge will be helpful for further research in the drug development process.

Land degradation in the form of soil erosion and fertility depletion is the major environmental problem in Ethiopia. However, to curb this problem, soil and water conservation (SWC) structures are commonly practiced in many rural parts of Ethiopia. This study was conducted to assess the effects of SWC structures on selected soil physicochemical properties in Ejersa Lafo district. For this study, two kebeles (peasant associations) were selected purposively from the district based on the severity of soil erosion and information on SWC practices. The research design employed in this study was systematic, randomized, complete block design. A total of 12 composite soil samples were collected from the depth of 0 to 20 cm at two subwatersheds, namely, Jamjam laga batu and Koriso Odo guba with SWC and without SWC structures at three landscape positions. All the soil samples were analyzed following the standard and recommended procedures. The effect of independent variables (SWC practices and landscape positions) on the dependent variables (soil properties) was statistically tested using the SPSS computer program 21. In this study, most of the selected soil physicochemical properties were affected by watershed management intervention (SWC) structures. Soil moisture content (SMC), clay, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total N (TN), available (AP), available K (AK), and organic carbon (OC) were higher in the subwatershed treated with SWC structures (conserved), whereas bulk density, silt, and sand were higher in the subwatershed without SWC structures (nonconserved). Most of the selected soil chemical properties were significantly varied ( p < 0.05 ) between conserved and nonconserved farm land except EC. All the selected soil physicochemical properties did not show any significant variation ( p < 0.05 ) at landscape positions except sandy soil. The physicochemical soil properties of selected parameters were in good conditions in the conserved areas with higher N and OM and lower BD, indicating fertility of the soil compared with the nonconserved land. The implementation of SWC structures improved some of the physicochemical properties of soil, such as SMC, clay particle, pH, EC, total N, AP, AK, and OC in the study area. Furthermore, efforts are required to enhance community adoption towards soil and water conservation. Additionally, further research has to be carried out on socioeconomic aspects and impacts of the intervention on crop productivity for better understanding of the sustainable use of the land.

Community forestry is a strategy in which communities are, to some degree, responsible for managing the forests, using a more participatory approach to replace the traditional top-down model. Various forms of policies and governance have been developed to balance goals to ensure the community’s socioeconomic resilience and the landscape’s biological sustainability. The reinvestment of community forest (CF) income back into forest regeneration is not well documented, and there is a lack of research comparing forest income to the costs associated with forest regeneration. This research examines how changes in timber income and forest-regeneration costs affected CF social and ecological viability. We conducted expert elicitation interviews for CFs (n = 33) under three zones of management in Chitwan, Nepal (Zone 1: buffer zone, Zone 2: forest corridor, and Zone 3: community forest). To examine how CFs differ financially, we asked questions regarding timber income and forest-regeneration expenditures and then posed 22 questions regarding socioeconomic and biological aspects of the CF. Finally, a Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test was performed to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in perceptions between groups, including zone, timber income (high, medium, low), and forest-regeneration expenditures (high, medium, low). The amount of income from timber had a substantial impact on the communities’ biological benefits and financial stability. Lower timber-income areas were thought to be less economically stable, lack the resources to enforce rules and regulations necessary to meet the CF’s socioeconomic or biological goals, and place more significant restrictions on the amount of wood members can harvest from the forest. Communities that spent less money on forest regeneration reported poorer levels of forest regeneration, economic sustainability, and community rights. Our research shows that community-forest user groups in the Chitwan district have a significant income and expenditure gap between their forests’ biological and socioeconomic advantages and resilience.

The floristic composition, diversity, and conservation status of woody plant species in Ethiopia are determined in this study. Data on vegetation are collected using a systematic random sampling method from 45 20 m × 20 m  (400m2) plots laid every 100 m along four parallel transect lines running from south to north. The Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea identification key (Volume I–VIII) is used to identify the scientific names of all woody plant species. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index is used to calculate species diversity, whereas Sorensen's similarity coefficient is used to assess similarities and differences among plant communities. The studied forest contains 44 plant species from 29 families and 40 genera. The Fabaceae is the most dominant family, followed by the Rubiaceae and Combretaceae. In terms of habit, the collected woody species consisted of 30 (68.2%) trees and 14 (31.8%) shrubs. The two most frequent species are Syzygium guineense (51.11%) and Maytenus gracilipes (46.66%). Three plant community types are identified using Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. Most species (Calpurnia aurea-Combretum molle) are observed in community type two. The study is generally limited to the floristic and diversity of woody plant species. Therefore, a thorough investigation of all species' floristic composition, population structure, regeneration status, and ecological aspects is recommended.

Finding potential management interventions to lessen the negative effects of deforestation and forest degradation requires understanding the population structure and regeneration status of woody species in Ethiopia’s Hereje Natural Forest. The local population relies on the forest for ecosystem services, which in turn, alters the plant diversity and age structure of the forest and the regeneration status for future generations is uncertain. Hence, this study was conducted with the objective of determining the Woody Species population structure and regeneration status of woody species in Hereje Natural Forest in Southwest Ethiopia Three parallel transect lines (every 100 m) were established along altitudinal gradients, and 45 plots of 20 m x 20 m were used to collect vegetation data. Living woody species were counted and measured using diameter at breast height (DBH) measurements for DBH>2.5cm in each plot. Each main plot had five 2mx2m (4m2) subplots, one in the center and four at the corners. The regeneration status of each subplot was assessed by the species of woody plants present (seedlings, saplings, and mature trees/shrubs).On the studied plots, a total of 44 plant species were identified and classified into 28 families and 41 genera. The most relatively dominant species in the Hereje forest were Syzygium guineense (24.47%), Ficus sur (20%), Combretum molle (18.58%), Croton macrostachyus (18.11%), and Terminalia schimperiana (9.29%). According to the results, the density of tree species in the forest decreases as DBH classes increase. The predominance of small DBH classes is a result of excessive cutting for certain size classes by the local community, indicating extensive changes in the woody plant diversity and age structure. Overall, the forest's regeneration status was fair. Urgent interventions and enforced regulations are required to halt the major cause of forest deterioration, namely human-induced activities such as cattle grazing, illegal timber harvesting, and firewood collection. For long-term forest stability and biodiversity conservation, additional in-depth ecological studies are recommended regarding potential management interventions, monitoring protocols, and other ecological factors that contribute to the sustainable use of the forest and its products.