Assessment of Edible Woody Plants’ Diversity, Their Threats, and Local People’s Perception in Borecha Woreda of Buno Bedele Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Edible woody plants play an essential role in ensuring the food and livelihood security of communities. However, the management practice and diversity of those plants are declined, particularly in an urbanizing world, due to a lack of traditional awareness among the people. This research identified edible woody plants’ diversity, their threats, and local people’s perception in Borecha woreda of Buno Bedele Zone, southwestern Ethiopia. Data on edible woody plants were gathered through interviews with 105 households (67 men and 38 women) between the ages of 21 and 90. Structured and semistructured questionnaires were used to obtain the data from informants. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results showed significant differences ($P<0.05$) between the number of edible woody plants reported by age and literacy level of respondents. Forty-three species of edible woody plants, belonging to 34 genera and 24 families, were identified. Fruits (79.1%), roots (14%), leaves (2.3%), stems (2.3%), and seeds (2.3%) were identified as the edible parts of these plants. Fruits are the most edible plant part usually consumed fresh without cooking in the study area. The identified plants have a variety of growth forms: shrubs (49%), trees (37%), and lianas (14%) respectively. The most common plant growth forms in the study site were shrubs. In the study area, agricultural expansion, overharvesting, and lack of natural regeneration were the major threats to edible woody plants. In the study area, cutting for constructions was the primary hazard to edible woody plants. In situ and ex situ conservation strategies and efforts of plantation practices in the agricultural landscape are needed for sustaining the edible woody plants in the study area.