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Effects of Coffee (Coffea arabica) Plantation Expansion on Woody Plant Species Diversity of Tululujia Control Hunting Area’s Natural Forest; Guraferda, South Western Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted at Tululujia control hunting natural forest areas where coffee plantation forest management system has been invaded the natural forest. The problem of coffee forest management, from a biodiversity point of view, leads to homogenization of the age, size and species composition of forests, consequently, reducing species diversity. Although these problems have been existed in the study area, there is limited information concerning their relative influence on forest biodiversity. Therefore, this study was conducted aiming to evaluate effects of coffee plantation expansion on the woody species diversity, composition, and abundance of Tululujia natural forest. Purposive and Systematic random sampling techniques were applied to locate sample plots. Data were collected from square plots of 20m*20m for trees, 10m*10m for saplings and 5m*5m for seedlings by drawing transect lines. Data analysis was done by using PAST software and Microsoft excel. From the result, a total of 27 woody species from natural forest with 1914 trees/ha and 10 woody species with 498 trees/ha from coffee plantation were recorded. The Shannon Wiener indices (H) for NF and CP were 2.789 and 1.84 respectively. Menhinick's index also showed that NF was more species rich (MR = 1.929) than the CP which had species richness index of 1.4. Forest management activities such as slashing, cutting, and clearing of under canopies within coffee plantation forest management system leads to reduce seedlings and sapling species (affects the regeneration status). Finally, the study concluded that coffee plantation forest management system has a great negative impact on biodiversity conservation particularly in the study area where remaining moist Afromontane forest exists.

Belay Haile Gessese

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