Plant Community Analysis in Embahasti Remnant Forest, Southern Tigray, Ethiopia

Tigray is one of the most environmentally degraded regions in Ethiopia left with remnant natural vegetation. The purpose of this study was to assess the plant communities of Embahasti remnant forest in southern Tigray, Ethiopia. Vegetation data were collected from 40 sample quadrates placed in transect lines, which were systematically laid. All vascular plant species including herbs, shrubs, lianas, and trees in each quadrat were recorded. Hierarchical cluster analysis and Canonical Correspondence analysis (CCA) performed that used for plant community analysis. Shannon-Wiener diversity Index was also computed for ecological data analysis. All the above analysis was performed using R 3.4.1 version software. A total of 74 plant species belonging 44 families were found in the study area; shrubs and trees (70.27%) species were dominant. Solanaceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae were the dominant families in terms of species. Three plant communities identified from the forest, namely Olea europaea subsp. Cuspidata – Juniperus procera, Myrsine africana – Erica arborea, Acacia abyssinica – Dodonea angustifolia . The highest Shannon-wiener diversity index was 3.26 while the least was 2.29 found in community one and three, respectively. Altitude, Slope, Grazing and human impacts are the factors influencing species distribution. It is, therefore, based on the results of this study, detailed ecological studies in relation to various environmental factors such as soil type and properties, ethnobotanical studies to explore indigenous knowledge on the diverse uses of plants, and sound management and monitoring as well as maintenance of biodiversity that promote sustainable use of the forest is recommended.