Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2013)

Floristic Composition, Diversity and Structure of the Kimboza Forest in Morogoro Region, Tanzania

https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v2i2.174
David S.

Corresponding Author(s) : David S.

david.kacholi@duce.ac.tz

Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), Vol. 2 No. 2 (2013)

Abstract

Kimboza forest reserve in Morogoro region, is an important biodiversity hotspot among the
Eastern Arc forests of Tanzania. High population pressure and encroachment threatens its
conservation values. This is based on a study which aimed at investigating the composition,
diversity, and structure of the tree community in the forest. All trees with DBH ? 10cm were
inventoried from 0.72ha in a total of 18 plots of 20m × 20m placed randomly from the forest
edge to the interior. Most important families and species were determined using familial
importance value (FIV) and species importance value (IVI) indices, respectively. Diversity
was analyzed using species richness, Shannon-Wiener, Fisher-?, and Simpson’s indices.
A total of 52 species belonging to 22 families were identified. The family Fabaceae had the
highest FIV (66.70) and species richness (15 species) while Khaya anthotheca had the
highest IVI value (48.11). The Shannon-Wiener (3.40), Simpson (20.60), and the Fisher-?
(18.80) indices were very high signifying high floristic diversity within the forest. 69% of the
species were rare, occurring in less than 20% of the surveyed plots. The mean density and
basal area of trees were 390 stems ha- 1
and 24 m2
ha-1
, respectively. The species
accumulation curve revealed an escalating trend suggesting that more sample plots could
result to a number of species in the forest. In summary, the study suggests for proper
management, protection, and wise utilization of the forest resources so that it sustains its
original biodiversity and ecological processes for future generations.
 

Keywords

anthropogenic, biodiversity, importance values, species richness, density
Floristic Composition, Diversity and Structure of the Kimboza Forest in Morogoro Region, Tanzania. (2023). Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), 2(2). https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v2i2.174
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Floristic Composition, Diversity and Structure of the Kimboza Forest in Morogoro Region, Tanzania. (2023). Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), 2(2). https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v2i2.174
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