4. Result: 78 woody species were recorded in the fragments.

1. Plant communities  in coffee forests of South-Western Ethiopia along a fragmentation and degradation gradient *Kitessa Hundera1,2, Raf Aerts2, Olivier Honnay3 & Bart Muys21Department of Biology, Jimma University, Ethiopia; 2Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, 3Department of Biology, Laboratory of plant ecology KU Leuven, Belgium 1. INTRODUCTION: The SW E forests are believed to be home to wild coffee arabica and are the reservoirs for it’s genetic diversity. Traditionally the people living in and around these forests manage the forests for coffee production. Coffee management varies from simple collection of coffee berries from the wild coffee shrubs to altering the composition and structure of the forest to reduce shade on coffee shrubs (FeyeraSenbeta, 2006). Even though there are some reports on the effect of coffee management in the relatively large and undisturbed Afromontane forests in the south west, no study has been conducted in small fragmented coffee forests in Jimma area. • 3. METHODOLOGY: • 91 sample plots of 20 m x 20 m were laid in coffee forest fragments in Geruke, Feche and Gera, (Jima Zone) with different size and varying level of coffee management practices. • Data on vegetation, edaphic and anthropogenic disturbances were collected from each plots. • Indicator species analysis was used to determine the optimal number of groups in the cluster analysis. • Diversity indices were calculated for each community. • NMDS was used to investigate indirect gradients influencing species distribution. . Coffee forest fragment in Geruke Charcoal making in coffee forests Vegetation data collection • 2. Objective: • to assess the vegetation composition, community types and structure of the forest fragments and the anthropogenic and environmental variables that might cause the variations. Table 1. Diversity indices for each community and for all plots together • 4.Result: • 78 woody species were recorded in the fragments. • The most frequent species were Croton macrostachyus Hochst. ex Delile and Syzygium guineense DC. occurring in 50 and 44 % of the plots respectively. Dominance of Croton macrostachyus indicates high level of forest disturbance. • Six plant communities were identified from the Indicator Species Analysis (ISA), i.e. Croton macrostachyus, Albzia schimperiana, Albizia gummifera, Syzygium-Olea welwitischii, Prunus-Polyscias and Schefflera-Rhus. • Diversity indices for each community given in table 1. Fig 1a. Profile of Croton community Fig 1b. Profile of Prunus- Polysciscommunity From NMS two main groups were identified: (i) the Croton, Albziaschimperianaand Albiziagummiferacommunities in the semi-forest coffee plantations at Geruke and Fetche and (ii) the Syzygium-Oleawelwitischii, Prunus-Polyscias and Schefflera-Rhus communities in the forest and semi-forest coffee in the continuous forest at Gera (Fig 1a&b). Management intensity and distance from Jimma explained the major differences in species composition in the two groups (Fig.2). Fig 2. NMS graph of the communities 5. Conclusion: In the Geruke and Feche fragments, the original understorey is almost completely removed and replaced by even-aged coffee stands and sparse old, mature shade trees. Devising mechanisms for regeneration of the shade trees is recommended before they reach post-reproductive stage and die, which strongly affects the coffee production. References: FeyeraSenbeta, 2006. Biodiversity and ecology of Afromontane rainforests with wild Coffea arabica L. populations in Ethiopia. Ecology and Development Series No. 38 This PhD work was done in the context of the IUC-JU project. Contacts: kitessa.hundera@ju.edu.et; Supervisor: bart.muys@ees.kuleuven.be