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Impacts of traditional agroforestry practices, altitudinal gradients and households’ wealth status on perennial plants species composition, diversity, and structure in south-central Ethiopia

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Abstract

Conspicuous trees and other perennial plants in smallholders’ farms have been acknowledged for their biodiversity conservation values. Impacts of agroforestry practices, elevation gradients, wealth status on perennial plant composition, diversity, and structure were empirically assessed. Four agroforestry practices were considered, namely, dispersed trees in perennial crops, homesteads, boundary plantations, and woodlots. In all, 540 sample plots were randomly selected and surveyed. A total of 138 perennial plant species belongs to 113 genera and 62 families were identified and recorded. Of the species, 79% were trees, 18% shrubs, and 3% non-woody perennials. Also, 83% of identified plant species were native. A substantial proportion of the species (71%) were naturally regenerated. The highest native woody plant species were found in homesteads (75%) and the least in woodlots (15%). Dimensionality in species compositions across agroforestry practices was graphically displayed using none-metric multidimensional scaling and there were significant differences (p < 0.001). Species richness was significantly highest in homesteads (72.3 ± 3.5), while Shannon diversity (2.5 ± 0.2) in boundary plantation (p < 0.001). Middle altitude and rich households had harbored significantly the highest species richness, Shannon diversity index, and Simpson evenness index (p < 0.05). The general linear model showed the primary interactions of determinants had significantly positive effects on biodiversity values (p < 0.001). The study reveals agroforestry interventions should consider agroforestry practices, socioeconomic settings, elevation gradients, and interactions among them in favoring or disfavoring the growing of native perennial plant species on the agricultural landscape in the central highland of Ethiopia and beyond in the tropics.

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  1. Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 128, Shashemene, Ethiopia

    Eyob Tadesse, Mesele Negash & Zebene Asfaw

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  1. Eyob Tadesse
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  2. Mesele Negash
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  3. Zebene Asfaw
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Correspondence to Eyob Tadesse.

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Appendix

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Table 7 Scientific names, local names, form, origin and sources of trees and other perennial plants with their relative frequency, abundance and dominance in the respective traditional agroforestry practices in South-central Ethiopia
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Table 8 Species distribution: relative abundances, relative frequencies and relative dominance of trees and other perennial plant species in different altitudinal gradients in Sidama, South-central Ethiopia
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Table 9 Species distribution: relative abundances, relative frequencies and relative dominance of trees and other perennial plant species in different households’ socioeconomic characteristics in Sidama, South-Central Ethiopia
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9.

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Tadesse, E., Negash, M. & Asfaw, Z. Impacts of traditional agroforestry practices, altitudinal gradients and households’ wealth status on perennial plants species composition, diversity, and structure in south-central Ethiopia. Agroforest Syst 95, 1533–1561 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-021-00659-x

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