Assessment of Woody Species Diversity, vegetation Structure, and regeneration status as indicators of forest degradation levels for restoration of moist Afromontane forest in Wanabola and Gopa, southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, deforestation has been increasing at an alarming rate, endangering much of the nation's distinctive biodiversity. This study was conducted to assess the species diversity, vegetation structure, and regeneration status of woody species in different degradation-level forest patches of the Shishoinde district of Gopa and Wanabolla forest sites to prioritize forest patches for restoration in moist Afromontane Forest. A Stratified systematic sampling method was deployed to collect vegetation data from Less Degraded Forests (LDF), Moderately Degraded Forests (MDF), and Highly Degraded Forests (HDF).