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Plant diversity and ethnobotany in Berehet District, North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region (Ethiopia) with emphasis on wild edible plants
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Alemayehu, Getu Asfaw, Zemede Kelbessa, Ensermu |
| Copyright Year | 2015 |
| Abstract | Background: This study was conducted in Berehet District, North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region (Ethiopia) to estimate the total species richness and diversity along with the ethnobotanical knowledge associated with the wild edible plants used by the local people. Methods: Based on vegetation cover and availability of wild edible plants a total, of five rural kebeles in three agroecological areas were selected for the study following a stratified sampling method from August 21-28, 2013. In each kebele, two parallel transect lines were laid out 700 m apart, with quadrats at an interval of 600 m. Each transect had eight 20×20 m (400 m2) quadrats. Therefore, sixteen quadrats were laid out in each kebele, in total 80 quadrats for the whole study. A hierarchical cluster analysis, with PC-ORD for Windows version 5.0 software, was used to identify plant communities and synoptic values for identification of the dominant species for naming plant communities. Shannon Wiener index of species diversity was applied to quantify species diversity and richness. Ethnobotanical data were collected by interviewing 65 informants selected from five study sites (40 males and 25 females). Information on local marketability, cultivation practices, habitat, abundance and threats of wild edible plants was gathered through semi-structured interviews, field observations, group discussion, preference ranking, paired comparisons and direct matrix ranking with informants. Results: A total of 143 plant species belonging to 113 genera and 60 families were collected. Fabaceae (18), Solanaceae (8), Asteraceae (7), Lamiaceae (5) were the families with the highest number of species. Of the total, 143 species, about 54(38%) plant species were shrubs, 43(30%) were herbs, 37(26%) were trees and 9(6%) were climbers. Field studies on wild plants of Berehet District furnished 53 plant species consumed as wild foods by the community, and the plant species belonged to 38 genera and 30 families. Based on richness of the edible species and usefulness, the most important families are the Fabaceae, Tiliaceae and Solanaceae. The edible plant species in the area comprised of 27(51%) shrubs, 14(26%) trees and 12(23%) herbs. Fruit is found to be the most edible plant part and mostly taken as raw. About 11% are considered famine foods. Of the reported edibles, all of the documented species have at least two uses or more, Medicinal uses contributed approximately 36% out of the total uses, Firewood and Charcoal 15%, Construction 18%, Fodder 13%, Bee forage 13% and Beekeeping 5%. The study showed that the majority of the species were collected from fallow land and forest patches. Elderly people of the area possess vast knowledge on wild food plants along with the ethnoecological distribution of plants in comparison with the young generation. Pair wise ranking results indicated that agricultural expansion as principal threats to wild edible plants in the study area. Conclusion: The study indicated that wild edible plants are valuable resources for improving food and nutritional security of households living in the area but many wild species are under growing pressures from various anthropogenic factors. Thus, public awareness and community based management need to be encouraged at all levels alongside of urgent collection of germplasm. Conservation of these biological resources is very important these plants may have the potential to be valuable food sources (if cultivated) and could be part of a strategy in tackling food insecurity. |
| Starting Page | 93 |
| Ending Page | 105 |
| Page Count | 13 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Volume Number | 3 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.plantsjournal.com/archives/2015/vol3issue6/PartB/3-6-6.1.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
