2025/07/04 by Girmay, Mehari, Tesfay Gidey, Melese Bekele +3
#Biodiversity #Distribution #Gullele Botanic Garden #Impacts #Invasive plants #Management strategies
paper · doi:10.20372/dijbar678916.v7i1.2025
Invasive species refer to non-native organisms capable of rapidly spreading and imperilling biodiversity upon introduction to new environments. These species pose significant threats to native populations globally and are a leading cause of native species extinctions.This research was conducted in the Gullele Botanic Garden with the objective of developing management strategies for invasive species and potentially invasive species by examining their distribution and impacts. A total of 40 plots (10 x 10 m2 size each) were established across different land use types to collect vegetation and environmental data. The impact rank was analysed using the R- packages, which shows the lower and higher impact rate ranges for the sampled land use type. ArcGIS (version 18.1) was used to map the spatial distributions of each species in the Botanic Garden. A total of 2550 individuals from 12 families comprising 16 invasive and potentially invasive species have been recorded in the the sampled plots. The highest species abundance appeared near the roadside. Acacia decurrens, Cyathula uncinulata, and Acacia melanoxylon were the three most predominant species, had a substantial contribution to the high impacts on the native species by dominating them and reducing their growth and diversity within the Botanic Garden. To effectively manage these invasive plant species in the Botanic Garden, we suggested to introduce mechanical interventions including hand-weeding, uprooting, cutting before flowering, seed collection and replacement by with the native plant species, and regularly monitoring strategies.