Forest and Range Land Plants Biodiversity Directorate

Duties and Responsibilities

    • Collection of forest and range land plant species
    • Conservation of forest and range land plant species in situ (mainly in natural high forests and dry woodlands), and     ex situ (gene bank, field gene banks and botanic gardens)
    • Characterization of forest and range land plant species and accessions for their desirable traits
    • Restoration of degraded forest and range land ecosystems and threatened species
    • Distribution of forest and range land plant accessions for research and development purposes
    • Research on various aspects of conservation and sustainable use of forest and range landplants including forest vegetation inventories, and species diversity dynamics
    • Establishment of national herbarium

Services, currently provided by the directorate

    • Distribution of forest and range land plant accessions for users
    • Educational visit to students, scholars and researchers on gene bank, field gene banks, herbarium and botanic gardens
    • Advisory services for the policy in reconciling development and conservation
    • Plant identification service

Facilities

    • Processing, drying and cold room facilities
    • Seed germination and testing laboratory
    • Herbarium facilities

Ongoing research works 

    • Ecology and diversity of vascular plants in forest and rangeland ecosystems
    • Storage behavior of plant species with uncertain storage behavior
    • Exploration, collection and characterization of crop wild relatives and forage plants

Journals / Publications

    1. Abiyot Berhanu, Zerihun Woldu, Sebsebe Demissew and Seid Melesse (2019). Temporal Vegetation Cover Dynamics in Northwestern Ethiopia: Status and Trends. Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences. 18(2): 123–143.
    2. Befkadu Mewded, Debissa Lemessa, Hailu Negussie and Abiyot Berhanu (2019). Germination pretreatment and storage behavior of Terminalia laxiflora seed. Journal of Forestry Research 30: 1337–1342.
    3. Abiyot Berhanu, Sebsebe Demissew, Zerihun Woldu, Ib Friis & Paulo van Breugel (2018). Intermediate evergreen Afromontane forest (IAF) in northwestern Ethiopia: observations, description and modelling its potential distribution. Phytocoenologia. DOI: 10.1127/phyto/2018/0207.
    4. Abiyot Berhanu (2017). Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Status of Fragmented Afromontane Forests in Awi Zone, Amhara National Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia. PhD Dissertation. Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
    5. Abiyot Berhanu, Sebsebe Demissew, Zerihun Woldu and Motuma Didita (2017a). Woody species composition and structure of Kuandisha Afromontane forest fragment in northwestern Ethiopia. Journal of Forestry Research 28(2): 343-355. DOI 10.1007/s11676-016-0329-8.
    6. Abiyot Berhanu, Zerihun Woldu and Sebsebe Demissew (2017b). Elevation patterns of woody taxa richness in the evergreen Afromontane vegetation of Ethiopia. Journal of Forestry Research 28(4): 787–793. DOI 10.1007/s11676-016-0350-y
    7. Getachew Tesfaye & Abiyot Berhanu (2006). Regeneration of Indigenous Woody Species in the Understory of Exotic Tree Species Plantations in Southwestern Ethiopia. Ethiop. J. Biol. Sci. 5: 31-43.
    8. Getachew Tesfaye & ABiyot Berhanu (2005). A review of ecology and management of Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. in Arid and Semi-arid ecosystem of Ethiopia. Proceeding of the Regional Programme for Sustainable Use of Dryland Biodiversity. Pp. 18-21.