Author(s)

Almas Kashindye^1,2*, Richard A. Giliba³, Mathew M. Mpanda⁴, Mwemezi J. Rwiza¹, Juma R. Selemani¹

¹School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania.
²Forestry Training Institute (FTI), Arusha, Tanzania.
³School of Life Sciences and Bio-Engineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.
⁴EU Delegation to Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Riparian vegetations are important in supporting ecological connectivity between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The structure and species composition of riparian woody plants have been subjected to multiple forces with varying degree of influences. This study examined the influence of land use and environmental gradient to the structure and composition of the riparian woody plants in northern Tanzania. A total of 270 plots were surveyed for woody plant species in the riparian ecosystems and later analysed to determine the influence of land use categories (homegarden, crop field, woodlot, open canopy forest, and closed canopy forest) and environmental variables (temperature, precipitation, elevation and slope) to the species richness, abundance, and stand parameters. Basal area was higher in woodlots, homegardens and crop fields than in the open and closed canopy forests; and as expected the reverse was true for the number of stocking density. Correlation among stand parameters with environmental variables varied significantly. Species richness and species abundance were negatively correlated to precipitation, temperature and elevation, while stocking density and basal area were positively correlated to precipitation. The study recommends continual retentions of trees on farm, further promoting of agroforestry interventions and sustainable utilization of woody plants in open and close canopy forests.

Water Basin, Forest Disturbance, Riparian Forests, Rift Valley, Savannah

Kashindye, A. , Giliba, R. , Mpanda, M. , Rwiza, M. and Selemani, J. (2023) Land Use and Environmental Gradients Influence on Riparian Woody Plant Diversity and Structure in Lake Manyara Watershed Ecosystem, Tanzania. Open Journal of Ecology, 13, 633-648. doi: 10.4236/oje.2023.139039.