Ex-closure is one of the widely used method to restore natural regeneration of vegetation and increase soil quality in degraded areas. This study was conducted to examine woody species density, dominance, frequency, diversity, structure, and also to investigate the soil quality in the ex-closure over the place of succession of human and livestock pressure. Besides, the perception of local community towards ex-closure were studied. The biophysical data were collected from 60 circular sample plots aligned along six parallel line transects, each with a radius of 10 m, 6 m nested, 2 m sub-nested sample plots for trees, saplings, and seedlings, respectively, in the closed and open grazing areas. Soil samples were collected from five quadrats measuring 1 Ã— 1m2 to get one representative composite soil sample. The socio-economic data were collected from 89 sample households. Shannon diversity index was used to compare the diversity and equitability indices of woody plant species in the open and ex-closure sites. The comparative assessment revealed that the high density of woody species (7790 individuals ha-1) in ex-closure than in adjacent open grazing land (2819 individuals ha -1). A total of 48 woody plant species representing 28 families were encountered in the study site. Out of the 48 woody species, 21 of them were recorded only in the ex-closure. However, 6 woody species were exclusively found in the open site. Fabaceae was the dominant family in the ex-closure whereas family Anacardiaceae and Fabaceae were the dominant in the open grazing site. Of the total recorded woody species, 22 of them were common to both sites and belonged to 16 families. Diversity, richness, and density of woody plant species were all significantly higher in the ex-closure than in the open site. The results also revealed that soil variables, such as soil moisture content, bulk density, exchangeable cation (Ca, Mg, and K), CEC, and organic matter were all high in ex-closure. This is due to the accumulation high litter falls and their decompositions in the ex-closure. More than half of the respondents noted that the trend of the regeneration of vegetation increased after the intervention of ex-closure. Overall, the multiple linear regression model revealed that socioeconomic variables had significant effects on the dependent variable, i.e. perception of local peoples towards the â€˜ex-closure. Hence, effective management of woody plants diversity and improving soil quality in the ex-closure depends on minimizing external disturbances imposed by humans and their livestock. In addition, enrichment plantation can also help enhance the diversity of woody plants in the ex-closure.