DIVERSITY OF WILD EDIBLE FRUIT BEARING WOODY SPECIES IN DIFFERENT LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN DANGUR DISTRICT, NORTH WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Wild edible fruit bearing woody species are widely used as supplementary food stuff and traditional medicinal plants in rural community of Ethiopia. However, the diversity of wild edible fruit bearing tree species is highly threatened due to deforestation, forest degradation, lack of management and population pressure. They are becoming a focus of research topics for many ethno botanists in recent decades to enhance their sustainable use and conservation. Adequate study on wild edible fruit bearing woody species has not been conducted in most parts of Ethiopian Forests. This study was conducted to analyze the diversity of wild edible fruit bearing woody species under different land use types and management system in dangur rural district, North West Ethiopia. Two types of land uses were used for data collection following the transect lines. A systematic sampling method was applied to locate the sample plots on transects to study the diversity wild edible fruit bearing woody species. For wood land use type a plot size of 20 m × 20 m were used to record all edible wild fruit bearing woody species, while plot size of 50 m × 100 m was used for parkland agroforestry. A total of 144 plots were used for collection of data for species diversity in park land agroforestry and woodland land use types. Result showed that a total of 34 wild edible fruit bearing woody species were recorded from parkland agroforestry and woodland land use types. The diversity measures of Shannon, richness and evenness 2.03±0.12, 8.83±1.0 and 0.89±0.01 for parkland agroforestry and 2.49±0.1, 15.16±1.49 and 0.82±0.02 for wood land use type were analyzed respectively. The most frequently retained species include Syzygium guineense, Ziziphus mauritiana. Ficus sur and Ficus sycomorus, Carissa spinarum, Balanites aegyptiaca and Gardenia ternifolia. Wild edible fruit bearing woody species are used for traditional medicine and supplemental food source in which the diversity is highly threatened due to deforestation and lack of proper management. Hence, conservation strategy is required both land use types in order to sustainably management the plant species. Findings of our study concluded that conservation and utilization strategy of wild edible fruit bearing woody species are important to maximize their economic, social and environmental benefits and apply appropriate management practices.