Woody plant diversity, composition and structure in relation to environmental variables and land‐cover types in Lake Wanchi watershed, central highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

Knowledge of vegetation dynamics associated with human land-use change and environmental variables is crucial for sustainable watershed management. The objective of this study was to analyse woody plant diversity in response to the effects of anthropogenic disturbances, and topographic variables in different land-cover types. Woody plants ≥5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) were recorded from 20-by-20 m plots, those <5 cm DBH were recorded from 10-by-10 m plots, and tree seedlings were recorded in 3-by-3 m plots. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling with Bray-Curtis distance was employed to analyse woody species composition. Woody species richness was analysed using generalised linear modelling. Tree diameterclass distributions were examined for population structure. The study identified 104 woody plants belonging to 52 families, where 74.5% were indigenous and 16.7% were endemic to Ethiopia. Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Rosaceae were the most species-rich families. There was evidence for the effect of anthropogenic disturbance and elevation on woody species composition. Wetlands contained the highest woody species richness, while woody species richness declined with increasing elevation and disturbance. Evidence of good regeneration was observed in wetlands. To sustain the ecological functions and services provided by the watershed, rehabilitation of the forest and shrub-cover should be a high priority for local management authorities.

Community perceptions towards the impacts of ecotourism development in the central highlands of Ethiopia: the case of Lake Wanchi and its adjacent landscapes

“…Sub-afro-alpine vegetation dominated by Erica species is the characteristic vegetation type of the study landscape. However, there are also indigenous plant species such as Hagenia abyssinica, Hypericum revolutum, Protea gaguedi, Rosa abyssinica, Lobelia giberroa, Solanecio gigas, Rumex nervosus and Rubus species ( Angessa et al., 2020 ) that have tourism importance, especially during their flowering seasons. Colobus guereza , Tragelaphus sylvaticus, Sylvicapra grimmia, Anubis baboon , Common jackal, and Common hyena are the commonly observed wild mammals.…”

Farmer’s perspectives of rodent pests’ damage and management practices in Wenchi highlands, central Ethiopia

“…Only a few of them have generated additional income from ecotourism as documented by Shale et al . (2014) and Angessa et al . (2020).…”

“…The farmers in Wenchi highlands totally rely on farming and rearing cattle for their livelihoods. Only a few of them have generated additional income from ecotourism as documented by Shale et al (2014) and Angessa et al (2020). Six rodent species were identified as major crop pests in the area.…”

“…Its highest elevation is at Mount Wenchi (3,386 m asl). The area is characterized by highland sub-humid climate with the average annual rainfall of 1400 to 1420 mm (Shale et al ., 2014; Angessa et al ., 2020). The area receives unimodal rainfall with longer rainy periods stretching from May to September.…”

“…The peak rainfall occurs in July and August. The cold-dry season is distinguished between October and January (Degefu and Schargel, 2015; Angessa et al ., 2020). The temperature varies from 14 to 26°C during the day and falls below 10°C at night (Degefu and Schargel, 2015).…”