Addis Ababa University, School of Graduate Studies Environmental Science Programme
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ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE PROGRAMME ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF DESS’A FOREST, NORTH-EASTERN ESCARPMENT OF ETHIOPIA, WITH EMPHASIS ON USE AND MANAGEMENT OF FOREST RESOURCES BY THE LOCAL PEOPLE By: Abrha Tesfay Mehari A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES OF ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE October, 2008 Addis Ababa Dedication This thesis is dedicated in memory of my lovely mother W/o Desta Bilhatu and my father Ato Tesfay Mehary ii Acknowledgments I wish to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Zemede Asfaw, for the full assistance and constructive ideas and inputs from the time of proposal formulation to the enrichment of this thesis. I am very much grateful to all the local informants who shared their knowledge on the use of forest plants and management systems. Without their contribution, this study would have been impossible. I am highly gratitude to Dr. Mirutse Giday and Ato Melaku Wondafrash for their cooperation in checking and authentication of plant specimens at the National Herbarium. I would like to extend my best gratitude to Ato Nigussie Esmael, head of the Natural Resource and Rural development Office who helped me in giving relevant materials for my study. I also thank Enderta, Astbi-Womberta and Saesie-Tsaedaemba Woreda agricultural office workers for helping me in selecting the study sites. I am highly indebted to my friends Redae Tadesse, Hailemariam Hailu, Andnet Hagos, Hadush G/libanos, Gidena Girmay and Asefa Buzayeneh for their Material and financial help during my stay in the University. I would also pass my warm gratitude to Ato Medhin Mehari, Mulu Mehari and my families for their constant help and encouragements during my study. I would also thank Sister Zebideru Tesfay for her support in providing the relative medical terms for the names of local ailments. Finally, I would like to thank the Environmental Science Program, Addis Ababa University for the financial support to conduct this study. Above all, I would like to thank the almighty God for helping me endure the rigorous of every day life and to overcome the challenges of graduate studies. iii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations AEZs Agro-Ecological Zones ASC African Studies Center Asl Above Sea Level EFAP Ethiopian Forestry Action program EMA Ethiopian Mapping Agency EMFNS Ethiopian Millennium Festival National Secretariat FAO Food and Agriculture Organization GTZ German Agency for Technical Co-operation IBC Institute of Biodiversity Conservation IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature MoA Ministry of Agriculture MSc Master of Science NFPAs National Forest Priority Areas NTPPs Non-Timber Plant Products SFCDD State Forest Conservation and Development TBoANRD Tigray Bureau of Agricultural and Natural Resources Development TFAP Tigray Forestry Action Program UN United Nations UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNDP/ ECA United Nations Development Program/ Economic Commission for Africa UNEP United Nations Environmental Program UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization WCMC World Conservation and Monitoring Center iv Table of Contents page Dedication----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ii Acknowledgements-----------------------------------------------------------------------------iii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations---------------------------------------------------------iv List of Tables------------------------------------------------------------------------------------vii List of Figures----------------------------------------------------------------------------------viii List of Appendices-----------------------------------------------------------------------------ix Abstract-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x 1. Introduction................................................................................................................1 1.1. Background.........................................................................................................1 1.2. Objectives of the study........................................................................................3 1.2.1. General objective .........................................................................................3 1.2.2. Specific objectives .......................................................................................3 1.3. The rational for studying Dess’a forest...............................................................3 2. Literature Review.......................................................................................................5 2.1. Importance of forest and forest resource utilization ...........................................5 2.2. The concept of ethnobotany................................................................................6 2.2.1. Role of ethnobotany in biodiversity management .......................................7 2.3. Threats to indigenous knowledge/ ethnobotany .................................................8 2.4. Traditional botanical knowledge.........................................................................8 2.5. Traditional management of resources.................................................................9 3. Description of the Study Area.................................................................................12 3.1. Geographical location .......................................................................................12 3.2. Land form (Topography) ..................................................................................14 3.3. Geology.............................................................................................................14 3.4. Soil ....................................................................................................................15 3.5. Climatic conditions ...........................................................................................15 3.5.1. Temperature ...............................................................................................15 3.5.2. Rainfall.......................................................................................................16 3.6. Natural vegetation.............................................................................................17 3.7. The people and resource use.............................................................................18 3.8. Conservation issues...........................................................................................19 4. Materials and Methods.............................................................................................20 4.1. The study area...................................................................................................20 4.2. Site selection .....................................................................................................20 4.3. Informant selection ...........................................................................................21 4.4. Ethnobotanical methods....................................................................................22 4.4.1. Sampling ....................................................................................................22 4.4.2. Interviewing ...............................................................................................22 4.4.3. Plant collection, identification and nomenclature......................................23 4.5. Data analysis .....................................................................................................24 v 4.5.1. Informant consensus ..................................................................................24 4.5.2. Direct-matrix ranking and scoring.............................................................24 4.5.3. Preference ranking .....................................................................................25 4.5.4. Pair-wise comparison.................................................................................25 5. Results......................................................................................................................26 5.1. Concept about the forest and forest resources ..................................................26 5.2. Management of forest plant resources ..............................................................28 5.3. Local knowledge for categorizing useful plants ...............................................28 5.3.1. Growth habit and plant parts used .............................................................29 5.3.2. Major plant use categories .........................................................................29 5.3.3. Multipurpose plants ...................................................................................39 5.4. Major threats to the forest resources.................................................................40 5.5. Diminishing forest plant resources ...................................................................42 6. Discussion................................................................................................................43 6.1. Local peoples concept about the forest and forest resources............................43 6.2. Traditional management of forest resources.....................................................44