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Ethnobotanical study of forage/fodder plant species in and around the semi-arid Awash National Park, Ethiopia

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Abstract

We undertook ethnobotanical study of forage/fodder plant species used by the Afar and Oromo (Kereyu and Ittu) Nations in and around the semi-arid Awash National Park (ANP), Ethiopia. The study aimed at investigating and documenting indigenous knowledge (IK) on forage/fodder plant species and threats to their survival. Ninety-six informants between 20 and 80 years old were selected using prior information. Data were collected using semi-structured interview, guided field walk, discussion and field observation. Preference ranking, Jaccard’s coefficient of similarity and priority ranking were used for data analysis. One hundred twenty-six forage/fodder species of 90 genera and 43 families were collected in the study area. More than 88% of the species were reported with their vernacular names, where 68% were reported by the Afar Nation and 70% by the Oromo Nation. Family Poaceae was represented by 25 species (20%), followed by Fabaceae 18 (14%). Preference ranking for the most preferred forage grasses as perceived by key informants revealed that Chrysopogon plumulosus was the most important forage/fodder species. Overgrazing was the major threat in the study area, scoring 22%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Forestry Research Center (FRC), Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) Case Team, P.O. Box 30708, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Tinsae Bahru

  2. Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Faculty of Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Zemede Asfaw & Sebsebe Demissew

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  1. Tinsae Bahru
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  2. Zemede Asfaw
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  3. Sebsebe Demissew
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Correspondence to Tinsae Bahru.

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Corresponding editor: Yu Lei

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Bahru, T., Asfaw, Z. & Demissew, S. Ethnobotanical study of forage/fodder plant species in and around the semi-arid Awash National Park, Ethiopia. Journal of Forestry Research 25, 445–454 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-014-0474-x

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