Ethiopia is on the verge to lose its biodiversity resource due to the newly coming (exotic and invasive) species those are artificially hybrid and less useful for the community compared to the indigenous ones, said Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI).
According to Dr. Melesse Maryo, General Manager of EBI, Ethiopia has about 1,600 species of trees, 34 species of crops and horticulture in gene bank. But in accusation, above 7,000 species have been conserved and protected within their original location.
Those conserved species are cumulated in the gen bank. The lost species through exotic species are found everywhere that is easily grown before the exotic species came on.
The exotic species grows fast and get ready for use in a short time. Peoples of Ethiopia have now grown it for this character. These easily growing species are now spreading in the whole corners of the country. This exotic species leads the groundwater to drying because of its highly absorbing capacity, he noted.
Taking this into consideration, the EBI has worked hand in glove with the FRDE Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), Regional Agriculture Offices, Higher Education Institutions, and Private Commercial Centers to solve the problem that the indigenous plants of the country face to put them on a red list.
This very action of the institute is the main measure to conserve and protect the native species of trees and shrubs by keeping them in gene banks, botanic gardens, as well as in the centers those have worked in cooperation with Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) to save and use from them in a sustainable manner, added Dr. Melesse.
In order to save and use the resources sustainably, the institute has to work in identifying the species conducting researches and putting them in botanic gardens, gene banks to protect them from dismissal risk. This enables them available to use when they are needed for research, medical purpose, regrow, duplicate, provide for the municipalities, hotels, resorts and distribute the seeds to farmers and farming organizations, he added.
The restoration works of the trees and shrubs have gone well in cooperative works with the regional centers, higher learning institutions and private organizations.
Ethiopian institutes are well organized and fine in this kind of work. Thus, Ethiopia is the leading in Africa in this work and saving the sector.
In actual saying, almost all today’s young generation does not know even the name of the indigenous biodiversity resources not only their physical parts. Instead, they are familiar with newly comings that have going to replace trees and shrubs that they can find in their leaving area but cannot call by list either.
Restoring the native biodiversity resources from being harmed through the expansion of exotic species that leads the atmosphere to hot situation needs a long time effort and attention of the whole community, lauded Dr.Melesse.
To solve these problems and to restore the native species needs strengthening brainstorming works for all the communities. And the people should have to grow the awareness considering this resource that belongs to them and closer to their hearts.
The exotic species are not in use for food purposes through their fruits, leaves, roots and body parts for the surrounding community and animals. They are not also used for traditional and modern medication. Even if their flower is attractive for bees, humans and mammals, they are not comparable with the indigenous ones and their nectar is not used for bees sacking. The indigenous ones in contrary are useful for
food and shelter purposes for both animals and humans in different ways.
Peoples are growing exotic only for the short period growing and use of them. But the people have no awareness about what amount of water can it absorb from the ground and how this can lead the water body to drying in quicker time and play the greater factor in reducing the water resource from the area.
To know the resources and their functions in human life, there should be integrated works to recoup the resources. And their functions for life are vast including making the atmosphere attractive for recreation and source of oxygen essential for all humans’ and animals’ breathing.
Lots of trees seen in the roads sides of Ethiopia have no fruit and they part couldn’t serve as food for human and animals. Those can also release not much oxygen forward to the atmosphere and couldn’t serve for air balancing rather they make dry the groundwater.
“Indigenous plants in the country are at a greater risk of destruction. At present, the risk of losing them includes losing of food, medicine, shelter, and soil conservation, which all of us have used from them.”
As a result of work being done to prevent the disaster, the country is losing eyesight of the fact that there is no convenient environment for working in every area because of the national problems faced on local plants.
The existing use of biodiversity has now greatly diminished its presence, and it has now increased its risk of exploitation, he noted.
“In this work, the conservation of the species is consolidated in our centers everywhere, and it has now put us in a better position in Africa. Among the East African countries, Ethiopia is one of the richest in plant resource.”
The shrub Taverniera abyssinica, another important medicinal species, is threatened by being collected for household purposes. It is sold in urban markets as a cure for stomach cramps and fever.
Wood products represent a major proportion of building materials, furniture, agricultural tools, and household energy for the rural poor people of Ethiopia.
Besides, forest products such as gums, incense, resins, spices, honey, and wax from beekeeping play an important role in the consumption patterns and income diversification of rural communities. The role of these products in the rural communities’ daily life remains poorly documented.
Adding to having an important local market, some of Ethiopia’s forest products are exported, including honey and about half of the officially traded volumes of gums and incense. Hence, they are likely to contribute
significantly to rural household economies. Much harvesting of forest products is undertaken by people who combine this with some form of agriculture.
Commonly collecting takes place in secondary forests, bush fallow, or farm bush rather than in pristine forests. In many situations, fallow vegetation, farm bush, and even the forest itself are actively managed by local users to conserve or encourage species of value, and to make the resource easier to use.
According to the International Union for Conservation Nature (IUCN) the world’s conservation union assessment report, out of the species shown in the red list record, 122 are found in Ethiopia and the neighboring Eretria.
Initial effort has focused on the strictly endemic plant species, which are a special responsibility of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Endemic species were identified by reviewing more than 6,000 species from 200 families.
There are 428 endemic and near-endemic woody taxa in Ethiopia and Eritrea of which 107 are trees and 321 are shrubs. In this report, IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are given for 135 endemic taxa.
These 135 threatened woody taxa (31 trees and 104 shrubs) represent 13 percent of the total woody plant and flora estimated for the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Joint venture work is ongoing for the near-endemic taxa those also present in neighboring countries namely; Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Kenya; and trees that are used commercially. Finally, plant species that are not globally threatened but have restricted ranges in Ethiopia and Eritrea (locally threatened plants) will be assessed.
Hagenia abyssinica, the former one of the commonest high-altitude forest trees in Ethiopia, is nowadays reduced to scattered individuals in mountain areas. The bark, flowers, and roots of this species are highly valued for medicinal purposes, used as a drug to treat intestinal parasites.
Another important consideration in the use of rare and declining wild plant taxa is their value as food. Consumption is a key issue for many species, considering the high levels of malnutrition and extreme poverty most Ethiopians suffered by. Edible wild plants make a major contribution to the dietary intake of rural people during times of food shortage.
Hence, the consumption of wild plants is a necessary part of the strategies adopted by people in order to survive a harsh environment. Famine foods are plants consumed only at times of food stress, namely drought, war, and other hardship.
Famine foods characteristically are more energy-rich; however, they often require complicated and time-consuming processing and they often have an unappealing taste. Some threatened woody plants are commonly considered as edible for hungry people, such as the endemic Maringa rivae subspecies.
The Ethiopian Herald June 16, 2021
BY MUSSA MUHAMMED
