Dynamics, Spatial Configuration and Modelling of Yegof Forest and its Surrounding Patches, South Wollo, Ethiopia

No Thumbnail Available

Date

2018-06-04

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Addis Ababa University

Abstract

This study comprised Land use and Land Cover (LULC), floristic composition and structural analyses, human forest interaction, and species distribution modelling of Yegof forest. This study is aimed to investigate the natural dynamics, spatial configuration and modelling of Yegof forest and its surrounding forest patches. The LULC maps of the landscape were produce from landsat MSS (1972-12-07), TM (1986-02-09), and ETM+ (2015-03-10) images. The produced LULC maps were used to compare the magnitude of fragmentation using selected metrics. For floristic composition and structural analysis of Yegof forest and its surrounding forest patches, (Erkis, Harbu, Suki, Harego, Biraro, and Abuli) field data was collected on 164 sampling plots. The land use drivers and the status of the forest resources under different forest management regimes were identified and evaluated using structured household questionnaire survey. The current and the likely future distribution range of Hagenia abyssinica population, flagship species in the forest, were modelled. The data were analysed using suitable analytical software packages including, R, Biodiversity Pro, SPSS, MaxEnt, QGIS, DIVA-GIS, and FRAGSTATS. Significant differences between means and ranks were tested. The result of LULC analysis from 1986 to 2015 showed agriculture land and settlement area increased from 67.26% to 80.08% and from 1.63% to 1.93% in the landscape, respectively. In contrast, forestland and shrub land had decreased from 11.23% to 8.25% and from 17.83% to 3.35% in the landscape, respectively. The set of ten metrics has revealed that the forest of Yegof and the surrounding patch forests were experiencing a lesser fragmentation intensity in the year 1986 than that of 1972 and 2015. This study has recorded 292 species of vascular plants belonging to 219 genera representing 84 families. The vegetation of the Forests was classified into five, namely Juniperus procera, Olea europaea subsp. caspidata - Olinia rochetiana, Carissa spinarum - Euphorbia candelabrum, Nuxia congesta-Myrsine africana and Acacia bervispica- Dichrostachys cinerea -Acacia seyal community types. The community types were described with varying degree of species richness, evenness, and diversity. The elevation and slope qualifies as the best predictor for species composition, while heat load and landform do not mirror this pattern. Density of tree species in the forests decreases with increasing DBH and Height classes, which show that the forest is in the secondary state of development. Fuelwood harvesting is the major cause of deforestation in the area. Hagenia abyssinica population in the study area is found to be highly affected by climate change. So that, launching provenance trials in the area for the selection of highly adaptive individuals under the effects of climate change is indispensable

Description

Keywords

Forest Cover Change, Fragmentation, Floristic Forest, Composition, Yegof

Citation