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Table 2 Operational definition of landscape classes at BER

From: Changes and drivers of afro-alpine forest ecosystem: future trajectories and management strategies in Bale eco-region, Ethiopia

Class

Operational definition

Forest

Areas that are covered with dense growth of trees with closed canopies. It was made to include human made plantation forest, riverine forests, dry ever green forest and moist mountain forest.

Woodland

The land covered with both open and closed (high) woodland with dominant species of Acacia-Commiphora vegetation. It also includes scattered Woodland trees around rural setlements (Molla et al., 2010)

Scrubland

Land area covered by Asta scrubland, Erica bushes, alpine vegetation (vegetation with small white leaves found at top of Sanette Platue and habitats of Ethiopian Wolf. It includes Lobelia rhynchopetalum and Helichrysum species) and ground covered by Artemesia afra, Alchemilla johnstoni, and Knifofia

Grassland

Both communal and\or private grazing lands that are used for livestock grazing. The land is basically covered by small grasses, grass like plants and herbaceous species. It also includes land covered with mixture of small grasses, grass like plants and shrubs less than 2 m and it is used for grazing.

Agriculture

Made to include areas allotted to rain fed cereal crops (e.g., Corn, Barley, Teff, and Wheat), cash crops (Chat) and horticultural crops particularly vegetables (e.g., onion, potato, and cabbage). Crop cultivation both annuals and perennials, mostly in subsistence farming and the land covered by rural villages and scattered rural settlements and scattered small towns