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As a countermeasure to deforestation and forest degradation, there are many forests restoration practices with area exclosures. However, there has been limited scientific investigation of the biophysical status of the restoration practice to show whether it is successful or not for further interventions. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the impacts of forest restoration with area exclosures on vegetation and soil-property-changing aspects. The method followed the concept of forest restoration based on selected indicators and comparison against best practices. For this purpose, three districts in three agro-ecologies were selected. In each district, one exclosure, adjacent church forest, and adjacent grazing land were selected. Then, vegetation data and soil data were collected and analyzed using different diversity indices. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied for data analysis with R.Vr.3.1. The result revealed that there was a significant difference (p < 0.03) in vegetation composition, biomass, and soil attributes across land use and agro-ecology. In terms of wood density, area exclosures were recorded with the highest (1963 trees ha−1) wood density, followed by church forests (1079 trees ha−1) and grazing lands (501 trees ha−1). The highest species diversity was observed in church forests (1.53), followed by area exclosures (1.42) and grazing lands (0.64). Area exclosures show higher similarity (60%) with grazing lands than church forests (45%). Abundant woody species, herbs, and litter biomass were recorded in church forests (1320.8- and 1.8-ton ha−1), followed by exclosures (613- and 1.69-ton ha−1) and grazing lands (415- and 0.78-ton ha−1), respectively. In terms of soil property, church forests recorded the best loam sand and better AvP, Organic Matter, and total nitrogen, followed by exclosures and grazing lands. All the above vegetation and soil parameters indicate that area exclosures show intermediate values between church forests and grazing lands. Therefore, forest restoration with area exclosures is the better tool for degraded forest restoration. Further research is required to understand the ecosystem services of area exclosures and the trajectory of successional changes in vegetation composition and soil parameters of the area exclosures. |
