BY TEWODROS KASSA
Ethiopia is among the leading country with its diverse endemic wildlife resources. The country embraces the famed endemic animals such as Walia Ibex, Red Fox, Gelada Baboon, Ethiopian Wolf, the Mountain Nyala, Menilik Bushbucks among others.
The country is also home to numerous endemic bird species that are dispersed in different agro-ecological zones. The presence of numerous national parks in different parts of the country also serves as an opportunity to discover the endemic animals easily.
However, the country has been generating lower from its immense wildlife resources due to various reasons. Little attention given to the sector, lack of competitive manpower in the area, natural and man-made disasters, among others are the major challenges that hinder the country’s endeavors to utilize its full potentials of wildlife for socio-economic development.
In recent years, the Ethiopian government eyes tourism as the core economic sectors to transform the national economy. Thus, efforts are underway to harness the potentials in the sector and create numerous job opportunities to youths and women.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), wildlife tourism refers to the observation and interaction with local animal and plant life in their natural habitats. It encompasses segments such as eco-tourism, safari tours and mountain tourism among others. Wildlife watching tourism occurs mainly in protected areas. Nature, national parks and wildlife are considered as the most important tourism assets for tourists travelling for instance to Africa. What is more, wildlife represents biodiversity, essential for our health and the well-being of the whole planet.
According to a report on the economic value of wildlife watching tourism in Africa, 7 percent of world tourism relates to wildlife tourism, a segment growing annually at about 3 percent. The same document shows that a total of 14 countries in Africa are generating an estimated 142 million USD as entrance fees for protected areas.
More importantly, sustainable wildlife tourism can also provide opportunities for rural communities to improve their livelihoods through tourism-related jobs, revenue-sharing arrangements, and co-management of natural resources.
Sustainable wildlife tourism is often considered an economic alternative or preferable land-use model to other economic activities with greater environmental impact, such as agriculture or mining. When communities see direct benefits from prospering wildlife populations, they have a greater stake in protecting them.
Recently, the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) and the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) announced partnership for the revival of the tourism sector and intensify the forest conservation activities.
Regarding this, Tourism State Minister Selamawit Dawit told The Ethiopian Herald that the country’s tourism sector has rebounded from the two-year conflict in the last six months of the current fiscal year.
“In the reported period, over half a million foreign and 25 million local tourists visited various attraction sites in the country. Also, local and foreign event organizers conducted a sizable number of events and exhibitions,” she added. EWCA National Parks Administration Warden Mekuanent Kinfe said for his part that Simien and Bale Mountain national parks are among the prominent natural blessings that are playing a pivotal role in Ethiopia’s tourism revenue.
He said: “These two parks are endowed with enormous endemic plant species and wildlife. However, due to lack of viable policy framework which encourages protection and preservation of such attraction, they have faced many challenges including wildfire, illegal settlements, agricultural encroachment, deforestation and hunting, among others.”
To address such challenges, the administration has been undertaking various activities including conducting awareness creation programs for administrators at different levels. Consolidated efforts are also underway to benefit the local community from the parks’ conservation and development. Mekuanent further noted that the authority’s partnership with different international organizations and pertinent regional bodies as well as tour operators to bring the parks to their former glory. “For the betterment of the sector, we have submitted the formal request to the UNESCO to inscribe Bale Mountain National Park as the world heritage site. Extensive infrastructural developments have also been underway in the park in a well-mannered approach.”
The media should also play its due role in promoting Ethiopia’s tourism potential and strive for the revival and restoration of these parks in a holistic fashion. By the same token, the government is expected to partner with relevant bodies to provide technical support and protect the overall ecosystem for the sustainable development of Ethiopia’s tourism industry, he remarked.
According to experts, due to the rise in climate change and deforestation, human-wildlife conflict is worsening more than ever before and is causing several challenges in handling wildlife for tourist attraction. The other sector’s problem is the rising threats from commercial poaching and trafficking.
Therefore, Ethiopia need to implement concrete policy towards properly administering national parks, improve public attitude towards wildlife, avail incentives for outstanding wildlife conservation activities. Equally important, motivate youths and women to engage in wildlife friendly eco-tourism is crucial towards generating a better income from its immense wildlife resources.
In sum, effective planning, management skills, technology use, and pertinent stakeholders’ collaboration are required to advance the tourism sector and garner substantial economic and development benefits while minimizing adverse environmental and social impacts.
The Ethiopian Herald March 17/2023
