Plant species diversity and natural regeneration under semi-forest coffee and natural forest in Diga district, Western Ethiopia.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/star.V15.i3.09Keywords:
Coffee farming system, Diga District, Natural Regeneration, Species diversityAbstract
While contributing to local livelihoods, conversion of natural forests to semi-forest coffee (SFC) has significantly threatened forest biodiversity and the associated ecosystem services. Although traditional coffee farming maintains indigenous trees for shade, empirical evidence is missing on how selective canopy management and understory removal are impacting species diversity and natural regeneration. Hence, this study examined species diversity and natural regeneration in SFC systems of Diga district. Vegetation data were collected from 20 quadrats from the NF and 20 quadrats within the SFC system, totaling 40. Key informants were interviewed to explore shade tree preferences and coffee forest management. Species diversity indices were computed for each quadrat, and regeneration status was assessed from proportions of juvenile and adult trees. Overall, 55 plant species were recorded, 52 in the NF and 27 in the SFC. Five of these are endemic to Ethiopia. Fabaceae was the most represented family. Higher diversity was observed in NF (2.19) than in SFC (1.32) (p<0.001). Similarly, there were more seedlings in the NF (1950 ha-1) than in the SFC (750 ha-1), asserting the negative impact of coffee management practices on biodiversity and natural regeneration. Thus, revisiting coffee farming practices so as to balance biodiversity conservation is vital.
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