Dr Mulatu Osie, the 1st PhD graduate from College of Natural and Computational Sciences in Biodiversity Conservation & Management of Hossana probing habitat fragmentation effects on vascular epiphytes, bryophytes and predator-pest dynamics in Kafa Biosphere Reserve in southwest Ethiopia has unraveled interestingly veritable findings that necessitate keen attention from those in the corridors of power.

At the outset, he said, epiphytes grow on the surface of a plant and derive their moisture and nutrients from air, rain, water or from debris around maximizes water uptake and minimizes loss by rapid absorbing rain, dew or mist using specialized leaf and root structures, storing water when it’s plentiful in their own tissues, root-mass or tanks in case of bromeliads and use cam photosynthesis to reduce losses through transpiration.

Published in Open Access Journal, this research is aimed at knowing farmers’ behavior in ecosystem services, mismanagement and dynamics of habitat change on pests, vascular epiphytes and bryophytes in Kafa biosphere and nearby coffee agro-ecosystem discovered that species richness and frequency of vascular epiphytes were significantly lower on remnant trees because change in microclimate results in habitat fragmentation further reducing canopy dwelling and structurally dependent organisms.

As epiphytes and bryophytes growing on trees, their fate is tied with their host plants and threatened by the loss of forests; dependent epiphytes and bryophytes are most sensitive biological groups, vulnerable and automatically affected with habitat alterations and climatic changes; therefore, they benefit as bio-indicators.

Species richness, community composition and population dynamics of these groups varied greatly with land-use changes across landscapes. The survival of moss transplants in all sites found to be at its low with evaporating in warm seasons whereas it was better in forests and wet summer season. Thus, conservation of forests with old age trees is crucial to maintain habitat, he stressed.

Underscoring potential importance of natural habitat in supporting ecosystem services like bio-control to suppress pests and harbor canopy-dwelling lower plants which contribute as bio-indicators to changes in local climate, forest structure and ecosystem health benefited for conservation strategies.

His 7 inferences exemplify occurrence of crop raiding and ant-mediated effects on honeybees at forest proximity influencing livelihoods and crop production system that impact farmers’ perception towards conservation. He said natural habitat may not be a panacea for natural foes because of low productivity which may be more influenced by surrounding farmlands and pests have no effective natural enemies due to fragmentations of natural habitats resulting in spilling over of pest density.

Its scarcity, proximity, composition or configuration to provide large enough enemy populations for pest control for which natural habitats should be large and proximate enough to farms to facilitate a substantial increase in enemy’s strength while magnitude of habitat fragmentation and environment alteration affect diversity and abundance of vascular epiphytes and bryophytes significantly.

And it happens for these plants which primarily rely on microclimate, habitats and become susceptible to disturbances due to reducing humidity often associated with deforestation that needs to be addressed while farmers think epiphytes and bryophytes are parasites and remove them from shade trees and shrubs needs to be educated.

Correspondingly to change scenario, Dr Mulatu asked farmers to be made aware, allocate appropriate benefit sharing and provision of possible community development projects with focus on job opportunities for youth that he feels will maintain positive perception on conservation.

Therefore, he asked for better decision-making and conservation strategies to tackle epiphytes and bryophytes marginalized in Ethiopia; deforestation, huge coffee/tea farming, elimination of regenerated shrubs and selective growth of shade tree system is killing epiphytes and bryophytes diversity in Kafa, he sums up.

Working as lecturer in Wachemo University, he said that inadequate research fund by Ministry of Science and Higher Education, lack of vehicles, absence of global exposure compound researchers’ woes that need to be addressed. Prof Sileshi Nemomissa of Addis Ababa University was his principal advisor while

Dr Gemedu Dale and Dr Simon Shibru were co-advisors; married to Yemisrach Desalegn, he has two kids.

(Communication Affairs Directorate)