Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of Ethiopia

Forests that have a wide ecological gradient, diversity, and significant cover are confined in the southwestern part vis-à-vis other parts of Ethiopia, while the country is fronting biodiversity losses. The intention of this paper is comparative assessment of Majang, Kafa, Sheka, and Yayo biosphere...

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Main Authors: Semegnew Tadese, Teshome Soromessa, Tesefaye Bekele, Brhane Meles
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-01-01
Series:Advances in Agriculture
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/1585149
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author Semegnew Tadese
Teshome Soromessa
Tesefaye Bekele
Brhane Meles
author_facet Semegnew Tadese
Teshome Soromessa
Tesefaye Bekele
Brhane Meles
author_sort Semegnew Tadese
collection DOAJ
description Forests that have a wide ecological gradient, diversity, and significant cover are confined in the southwestern part vis-à-vis other parts of Ethiopia, while the country is fronting biodiversity losses. The intention of this paper is comparative assessment of Majang, Kafa, Sheka, and Yayo biosphere reserves, located in the southwest of Ethiopia, regarding their status of plant diversity, challenges, and efforts of conservation. To this end, an extensive review of different journals, articles, and proceedings was made. Relevance to the objectives of the review was a selection criterion for sources inclusion. Consequently, the review indicates that all the biosphere reserves contained myriad plant biodiversity, specifically the “hotspot” of Afromontane rainforest biodiversity, with some degree of dissimilarities among them. For instance, the values of Shannon index illustrated a decreasing order in plant diversity as Sheka followed by Kafa, Yayo, and Majang biosphere reserve. Besides, out of the top ten documented plant families, the species richest families are Rubiaceae (15) in Yayo, Asteraceae (12) in Kafa, Euphorbiaceae (11) in Majang, and Asteraceae (11) in Sheka biosphere reserve, while the least species found in the families are as follows: Aspleniaceae and Sapindaceae in Majang; Poaceae, Solanaceae, and Araceae in Sheka; Celastraceae and Piperaceae in Kafa; and Fabacae and Solanaceae in Yayo. However, many challenges were encountered in all the biosphere reserves. The driving force behind is commercial coffee-tea plantation, agriculture expansion, overgrazing, firewood, charcoal, and other factors. Hence, to reduce forest conversion and biodiversity loss, the government of Ethiopia is creating conservation mechanism like the establishment of the protected area and biosphere reserve which is controlled and managed by the community and the government.
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spelling doaj-art-7cfca42db50844d79e8f5c1aefce5cb52025-02-03T00:58:45ZengWileyAdvances in Agriculture2356-654X2314-75392021-01-01202110.1155/2021/15851491585149Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of EthiopiaSemegnew Tadese0Teshome Soromessa1Tesefaye Bekele2Brhane Meles3Center of Environmental Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCenter of Environmental Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaEthiopian Environments and Forestry Research Institute, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaDepartment of Natural Resources, Gambella University, Gambella, EthiopiaForests that have a wide ecological gradient, diversity, and significant cover are confined in the southwestern part vis-à-vis other parts of Ethiopia, while the country is fronting biodiversity losses. The intention of this paper is comparative assessment of Majang, Kafa, Sheka, and Yayo biosphere reserves, located in the southwest of Ethiopia, regarding their status of plant diversity, challenges, and efforts of conservation. To this end, an extensive review of different journals, articles, and proceedings was made. Relevance to the objectives of the review was a selection criterion for sources inclusion. Consequently, the review indicates that all the biosphere reserves contained myriad plant biodiversity, specifically the “hotspot” of Afromontane rainforest biodiversity, with some degree of dissimilarities among them. For instance, the values of Shannon index illustrated a decreasing order in plant diversity as Sheka followed by Kafa, Yayo, and Majang biosphere reserve. Besides, out of the top ten documented plant families, the species richest families are Rubiaceae (15) in Yayo, Asteraceae (12) in Kafa, Euphorbiaceae (11) in Majang, and Asteraceae (11) in Sheka biosphere reserve, while the least species found in the families are as follows: Aspleniaceae and Sapindaceae in Majang; Poaceae, Solanaceae, and Araceae in Sheka; Celastraceae and Piperaceae in Kafa; and Fabacae and Solanaceae in Yayo. However, many challenges were encountered in all the biosphere reserves. The driving force behind is commercial coffee-tea plantation, agriculture expansion, overgrazing, firewood, charcoal, and other factors. Hence, to reduce forest conversion and biodiversity loss, the government of Ethiopia is creating conservation mechanism like the establishment of the protected area and biosphere reserve which is controlled and managed by the community and the government.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/1585149
spellingShingle Semegnew Tadese
Teshome Soromessa
Tesefaye Bekele
Brhane Meles
Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of Ethiopia
Advances in Agriculture
title Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of Ethiopia
title_full Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of Ethiopia
title_fullStr Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of Ethiopia
title_short Biosphere Reserves in the Southwest of Ethiopia
title_sort biosphere reserves in the southwest of ethiopia
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/1585149
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AT brhanemeles biospherereservesinthesouthwestofethiopia