Pattern Ecological Study of the Woodland Vegetation in Metema Area

Metema area is located in the Northwestern part of Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. Like other dryland parts of the country, land degradation is rife in Metema area because of over exploitation of the woodlands and farming of the fragile lands. Transgression of agriculture towards the natural woodland, burning and overgrazing resulted in the clearing of woodlands. This in turn accelerated soil erosion and loss in floristic diversity of the area. To address these overriding problems of the area, some research activities have undertaken but most of these studies were focused on only woody species with a special emphasis on frankincense producing species. And as a result, we lack the baseline information on the general plant diversity, composition, population structures and other ecological perspectives which profoundly contribute to the formulation of development and management plan for plant species growing in the area. Therefore, doing this research would be of a paramount importance in providing information especially about the status of the woodlands and as baseline information to circumvent the ongoing threats to the plants.