Diversity of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and their source species in Menagesha Suba Forest

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and their source species in Menagesha Suba Forest. Data were collected and analyzed from 57 and 285 circular main plots of 400 m² and sub-plots of 1 m² areas, respectively. Information on the types of NTFPs extracted from the forest was obtained from a socio-economic survey that involved 123 randomly selected households from six Peasant Associations (PAs) nearby the forest. A total of 142 plant species belonging to 56 families were recorded in the forest, and 59 of them were identified to offer NTFPs of one type or another. Nine different types of NTFPs are extracted today from the forest and these include traditional medicine, household utensil, honey and bees-wax, fuelwood, farm implement, animal fodder, edible forest products, smoke wood, and flavoring and spices. The diversity, density and relative abundance of NTFPs’ bearing plants varied depending on the type of NTFP under consideration. In conclusion, Menagesha Suba Forest hosts rich diversity of plant species that offer diverse NTFPs. This richness with NTFPs resource can be used as an opportunity to device alternative strategy for the sustainable management of the forest by involving and allowing the local community to utilize the NTFPs resources rather than for destructive uses like timber harvest or conversion to other forms of land use. The incentive from NTFPs utilization could contribute to sustainable livelihoods of the local communities, which if realized, can win their interest for better conservation and development of the Forest.

Keywords/phrases: Diversity, Density, Forest conservation, NTFPs, Menagesha Suba

Ethiop. J. Biol. Sci., 9(1): 11-34, 2010