Browsing by Author "Takele, Teshome"
Item Study of Woody Species Diversity and Socio-Economic Importance of Boke Salt House, A Volcanic Crater Lake, in Semi-Arid Drylands of Borana, Southern Ethiopia(Addis Ababa University, 2006-06) Takele, Teshome; Nemomissa, Sileshi (PhD); Woldemariam, Tadesse (PhD)The diversity of woody plant species and socio-economic importance of salt house of the Borana dryland were conducted in Boke. This area is a volcanic crater lake and assumes a circular shape when viewed from the top. To study woody plant species diversity, evenness, richness and community type, line transects were laid along the four aspects for sampling purposes. A total of 22 quadrats (20 m x 20 m) were sampled. For comparative purposes, 39 quadrats of the same size were sampled from outside the salt house. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and semi-structured interviews were conducted for a socio-economic data collection. Vegetation, environmental variables and socio-economic data were analyzed using PC-ORD, CANOCO and SPSS software, and descriptive statistics accordingly. A total of 45 woody plant species representing 26 genera in 16 families were recorded in this study. The density of woody plant species recorded in Boke salt house was 2622 individuals ha-1. The diversity and evenness indices of woody plant species of the study area were 2.100 and 0.661, respectively. Six plant community types were identified in the current study, of which the first two (community 1, and 3) were found in Boke salt house and the other four (Community 2, 4, 5 and 6) were restricted to surrounding environment. Soil parameters like moisture content, organic matter, total N and available P had significant positive correlation with altitude, whereas exchangeable Na, pH-H2O, and electrical conductivity had negative correlation. The salt house is the sole source of both table salt and black salty mud which are used as a livelihood safety net during drought. The indigenous people of the area extract table salt by using leaves of a thorn-less shrub, Suaeda monoica. It was found out that the on site retail price of 50-60 kgs of table salt ranges from 80 to 100 ETB while the same amount of a black salty mud was 25-30 ETB. It has been found out that about 50,000 ETB was said to be collected by elected local community leaders per year from eco-tourists visiting the salt house. This income was/is being used for development activities under the leadership of the community. Given the level of poverty and recurrent drought, Boke salt house is under intensive and extensive human exploitations and participatory resource management and sustainable uses should be sought for both by local communities and the Oromia Regional State to bring about long-lasting solutions.