Diversity and management of indigenous fruit trees and shrubs in Tigray, Ethiopia

Indigenous fruit trees and shrubs (IFTS) play a vital role in ensuring the livelihood and nutritional security of both rural farming communities and the poor urban populations in drylands. The management and conservation of IFTS are customarily done using indigenous knowledge owned by the local people. However, there is a lack of systematic documentation and synthesis regarding the distribution and diversity of IFTS in Tigray, Ethiopia. This paper aims to analyze the richness and diversity of IFTS species across agroecologies and land use types and to identify the management options to conserve IFTS. Data were collected using field observation, informal discussions, and semi-structured and structured questionnaires administered to 495 respondents. The species diversity in home gardens and farmlands was calculated using Shannon–Wiener’s diversity index. The similarity in species composition between land uses and agroecologies was calculated using the Sorensen coefficient of similarity. The study documented a total of 44 edible IFTS species, belonging to 25 families. Cordia africana is the versatile IFTS found across the three agroecologies. The highest number of species was recorded in lowland agroecology. Agroecology and land use were found to have a significant impact on the richness of the IFTS species (P < 0.05). Communal forests harbored higher diversity compared to other land uses, while home gardens in the midland showed the highest diversity of species. There was a high similarity in species composition between land uses in the highlands. The level and type of management an IFTS receives depends on the value the species provides. Species highly valued by the community get better protection and post-planting management than species considered less beneficial. The common indigenous management practices provided to the IFTS are protection, watering, pruning, and support when at the seedling stage. These findings highlight the urgent need for conservation efforts and appropriate management strategies to safeguard the long-term existence of IFTS in human-impacted landscapes. Agroforestry systems could serve as an in-situ conservation option to conserve IFTS through domestication and sustainable use.