Nature puts mankind in a position it can’t survive without the rest of nature. This becomes more obvious when it comes to forest and its habitats. In this regard Ethiopia is a blessed country with vast natural forest and more than 20 national parks, which encompasses several endemic and common animals and bird species.
The forests of Ethiopia are also among the other things serving for thousands of years as sources of traditional medication. Currently, the nation is earning significant incomes from tourism and wildlife related trade and industrial activities.
However, even though the danger to wildlife and forest is common unsolved problem, in Ethiopia, in spite of years’ effort, more recently the nation is facing series and large scale wildfire. This is especially happened in well-known forests and national parks, such as Zikual Mountain Forests, Bale Mountain National Parks and Semien Mountains national world acclaimed parks.
Particularly the recent wildfire outbreak which happened in Bale Mountains national park and Semien Mountains National Park, setbacks many damages on the forests. The Bale Mountains wildfire was controlled after destroying certain hectares of forests land. The Semien mountain wildfire on the first round destroyed great amount hectare of forest land but currently government is striving to control the reinstated fire which was seemed out of control. The reason of fire happened in both parks believed to be man caused.
According to Getahun Girma, an expert at Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, always during the political reforms, it seems national parks are more vulnerable to manmade damages. As to him, Ethiopia’s forests and parks are less likely exposed to naturally happened wildfires, because of their altitudes, which make the cold and wet climate inevitable.
Agreeing with Gezahegn, Forest Fire Inspection Control Expert at the same ministry Mesfin Gezahegn also said: “The major dangers to almost all of Ethiopia’s parks come from people habitats in the park and surrounding.”
As to the experts, the peoples surrounding the parks and forests, and also the significant number of peoples settled in the parks time to time, make their livelihood based on the parks, which cause harm and destruction to the parks sustainable existence.
Mentioning the two recently faced fire outbreak, Bale and Semien Mountains National parks, they said that, in both cases these people caused the fire, while trying to collect forest honey by using fire smoke to prevent bees and in clearing land for farming.
Mesfin said that, the people who were formerly residing in Semien Mountains National Park were years back, moved to the nearest village with some NGO’s help. However recently they have started to get back to their former place which is in the park’s territory. While living in the park, people usually ploughs the land belongs to the park, for that they should have to clean the forest and they also make illegal hunting.
As to him, this is the story of most of Ethiopia’s national parks, there is no national park and protected forests, free of such problems. Therefore, it is possible to conclude man-made problems are one of the major problems faced by nations’ wildlife.
Hence, the experts said that the government and all concerned bodies should have to work strongly both on preventive and controlling measures.
As a prevention task, they have mentioned that creating awareness should prevail. Especially, the surrounding people to the parks and forests, and the government structures at all level should understand the importance and decisiveness of forests and parks, in that there is an awareness gap on the officials too.
Getahun said: “For example, Bale Mountains National Park, among the other things, is serving as the only sources of water for surrounding Bale, Arsi and Somali people, which their number is more than 15 million. If the forest is cleansed for sure we are going to have millions of peoples fall in food insecurity, within short period, but most of people couldn’t understand this, and the administrators of woredas of neighboring to the park are demanding land from the parks territory, stating job creation as purpose.”
Mesfin added that side by side to awareness crating effort, stakeholders should also work on making these people beneficial, form the park, in healthiest and constructive way.
With regard to safeguarding and controlling effort, the experts said that, even though the initiations are there, it is not modernized and equipped. They said that there are lacks of trained man-power in safeguarding the parks. There are also lacks of equipment’s for fire controlling purpose.
Mentioning neighboring and other countries experience, the nation should have multi-purpose wildfires controlling helicopters, which can also serve as a pesticide spraying, they underscored.
The Ethiopian Herald April 16, 2019
BY YOSEF KETEMA
