Ecology and Development Series No. 10, 2003 - ZEF
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Ecology and Development Series No. 10, 2003 - ZEF

Ecology and Development Series No. 10, 2003 - ZEF Ecology and Development Series No. 10, 2003 - ZEF

zef.de
13.07.2015 Views

Impacts of human use on the forest vegetationin the managed forests clearly shows the need to improve the management practice in orderto meet the conservation goals, side by side with sustainable utilization.Implications for conservation of other forest biodiversity: A previous study found thatYayu forest is one of the important forests in Ethiopia for the conservation of highlandforest bird species, and it has been recognized as part of the Matte-Gore-Tepi forestImportant Bird Area (EWNHS 1996). It also harbors several small mammals, especiallyprimates. Studies on the effect of disturbance on different animal groups show that changesin forest structure and composition are detrimental for their survival. For instance, Thiollay(1997, 1999) found that changes in forest structure negatively affect the forest birds. Themost affected groups of birds were mature forest understorey species. Similarly, thecomposition and diversity of other animal groups like primates (Onderdonk and Chapman1999), bats (Schulze et al. 2000), ants (Vasconcelos 1999), and butterflies (Hill et al. 1995;Hamer et al. 1996; Hill 1999) are also negatively affected by forest disturbance. Thoughthere is no similar study about the impacts of forest disturbance on any of the animalsgroups, it is assumed that many rare and habitat-specific species are affected by changes inYayu forest as result of management.97

Conservation of the wild Coffea arabica populations in situ6 THE IN SITU CONSERVATION OF WILD COFFEA ARABICAPOPULATIONS IN THE YAYU FOREST: SUITABILITY ANALYSISAND RESERVE ZONING6.1 IntroductionModification of ecosystems by human beings, mainly for agriculture, grazing andsettlements, is considered to be the major threat to the conservation of biodiversity (Chapinet al. 2000), especially in developing countries (Swanson 1999). In Ethiopia, agricultureforms the greatest threat to biodiversity conservation, since over 85% of the totalpopulation is engaged in agriculture (MEDaC 1995). This is mainly due to the lowproduction efficiency of the existing agricultural practices in the region (Tsegaye 2001). Insuch cases, the demands for higher yields to feed the growing population are currentlyfulfilled by increasing the areas of cultivated land, which is not sustainable resource usepractice. Hence, it is important to establish a system of protected areas or reserves toconserve biodiversity (WRI/IUCN/UNEP 1992). Even though Ethiopia is considered as oneof the top 20 richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity (WCMC 1994), most ofthe ecosystems or habitats important for biodiversity conservation are not included in thecountry’s system of protected areas. According to the protected areas categories of theIUCN (IUCN 1992), Ethiopia has 9 national parks, 3 sanctuaries, and 11 wildlife reserves,which mainly have been established to protect large mammals and birds. Up to now, noarea has been formally protected in the country to conserve an ecosystem or habitatimportant for plant species although Ethiopia’s biodiversity is mainly due to the highdiversity of plant species (Mesfin 1991b). It is also known for diversity in the geneticresources of plants important for food and agriculture (Melaku 1988; Abebe 1992).Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) is one of the important crop plants originatingfrom Ethiopia. Wild populations of C. arabica still occur in Ethiopia, and are considered asthe most valuable source of genetic materials for the world-wide improvement of cultivatedcoffee (Sylvain 1958, Bertrand et al. 1997; Anzueto et al. 2001). However, large areas offorests with such wild coffee populations have been lost due to deforestation, and theremaining forests are increasingly fragmented, resulting in severe threat to the wild coffeepopulations (Tewolde 1990; Reusing 1998; Tadesse et al. 2002). Hence, there is an urgent98

Impacts of human use on the forest vegetationin the managed forests clearly shows the need to improve the management practice in orderto meet the conservation goals, side by side with sustainable utilization.Implications for conservation of other forest biodiversity: A previous study found thatYayu forest is one of the important forests in Ethiopia for the conservation of highl<strong>and</strong>forest bird species, <strong>and</strong> it has been recognized as part of the Matte-Gore-Tepi forestImportant Bird Area (EWNHS 1996). It also harbors several small mammals, especiallyprimates. Studies on the effect of disturbance on different animal groups show that changesin forest structure <strong>and</strong> composition are detrimental for their survival. For instance, Thiollay(1997, 1999) found that changes in forest structure negatively affect the forest birds. Themost affected groups of birds were mature forest understorey species. Similarly, thecomposition <strong>and</strong> diversity of other animal groups like primates (Onderdonk <strong>and</strong> Chapman1999), bats (Schulze et al. 2000), ants (Vasconcelos 1999), <strong>and</strong> butterflies (Hill et al. 1995;Hamer et al. 1996; Hill 1999) are also negatively affected by forest disturbance. Thoughthere is no similar study about the impacts of forest disturbance on any of the animalsgroups, it is assumed that many rare <strong>and</strong> habitat-specific species are affected by changes inYayu forest as result of management.97

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