Assessment of riverine agroforestry for biodiversity enhancement and carbon sequestration in the Upper Awash Basin of Ethiopia

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41340%2F25%3A103235" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41340/25:103235 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-025-01370-x" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-025-01370-x</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10457-025-01370-x" target="_blank" >10.1007/s10457-025-01370-x</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Assessment of riverine agroforestry for biodiversity enhancement and carbon sequestration in the Upper Awash Basin of Ethiopia

Original language description

Riverine agroforestry (AF) systems play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem health by enhancing biodiversity, stabilizing riverbanks, regulating hydrological cycles, and sequestering significant amounts of carbon. However, research on riverine agroforestry in Ethiopia is limited. Most studies have focused on homegardens, parklands, and enset- or coffee-based AF systems. This lack of empirical evidence limits our understanding of the ecological functions of riverine agroforestry and restricts its integration into national strategies for land restoration, climate adaptation, and sustainable resource management. This study evaluated the composition, diversity, biomass carbon stock, and soil organic carbon (SOC) in riverine agroforestry and adjacent cropland systems in the Upper Awash Basin of Ethiopia. Vegetation was surveyed in 240 plots, and 480 soil samples were collected to evaluate soil organic carbon and bulk density. We recorded a total of 84 woody species from 61 genera and 38 families, with 96.4% classified as native. Species accumulation curves and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination indicated that riverine agroforestry had greater ecological heterogeneity and distinct species composition compared to cropland. Riverine plots had significantly higher Shannon diversity (1.87 vs. 1.21), Margalef species richness (2.45 vs. 1.49), and total biomass carbon stock (62.76 vs. 15.41 Mg C ha(-)1) compared to croplands, which showed greater Simpson evenness due to the dominance of a few disturbance-tolerant species. SOC were substantially higher in riverine systems, both in the topsoil (43.73 vs. 21.34 Mg C ha(-)1) and subsoil (35.03 vs. 14.97 Mg C ha(-)1), indicating increased organic matter inputs and favorable microclimatic conditions. The total ecosystem carbon stock in riverine agroforestry systems (141.52 Mg C ha(-)1) was nearly 2.7 times greater than that of croplands (51.72 Mg C ha(-)1). These findings highlight the multifunctional value of riverine agroforestry in enhancing biodiversity, improving soil health, and fostering climate resilience, making it a crucial nature-based solution for restoring Ethiopia's degraded landscapes.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10619 - Biodiversity conservation

Project

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Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Agroforestry Systems

ISSN

0167-4366

e-ISSN

0167-4366

Volume of the periodical

99

Issue of the periodical within the volume

OCT 28 2025

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

001602681200002

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105020314205