BY TEWODROS KASSA
Ethiopia is home to numerous endemic animals that are dispersed across the diversified agro-ecological zones of the country. The highlands and lowlands of the country are suitable for the wildlife that is conserved with age old national parks and dense forests.
The number of endangered mammals and bird species are also increasing from time to time following the active engagements of the government, community members, and pertinent stakeholders.
The Simien Mountains National Park and other parks of the country are potential tourism destinations that are preferable among local and international tourists. However, the national parks of the country are still prone to various natural and manmade problems. Among this, explosive wildfire is the leading challenge of the parks that causes severe loss of flora and fauna in different times in the past.
Recently, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) has announced that the wildfire blazed in the Simien Mountains National Park has occurred. Following this, efforts are being exerted to maintain the safety of the park sustainably and identify such problems before causing damages on the park and its wildlife resource.
According to EWCA, the wildfire in the Semien Mountains National Park is now under control. The forest fire had spread through the park since April 7, and as it was stated, the wildfire that broke out in Imet Gogo and Gich areas of the park was brought under control by the park staff, the local community and the members of the national defense forces and the cause of the incident is being investigated.
It was also stated that more efforts are being undertaken so that wildfire does not breakout and cause further damage again. In this regard, according to information from credible sources, from the Simien Mountains National Park and Bale Mountains National Park, the purchase of firefighting helicopters has become the order of the day to combat the damage caused by wildlife.
Simien National Park Law Enforcement Team Leader Sisay Solomon told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that the country has limited capability to deter the damage caused by the recurrent wildfire. Borrowing firefighting helicopters from neighboring and other African countries in times of wildfire has proven inefficient and costly, Sisay further stated.
The attempts to control wildfire with the community’s participation have not brought about the desired outcome and it was hindered by difficult terrains and other factors. “Owing to the parks’ large size, it is not manageable to control the wildfire without technological support. We hereby called on the government to respond to the long-awaited demand for firefighting helicopters.”
On his part, Bale National Park Head Shamil Kadir said the park has been vulnerable to recurrent wildfires and desperately looking for modern firefighting helicopters in a bid to easily contain the damage.
“We encountered a large-scale wildfire in 2019 and the accident caused a severe impact on the vegetation and natural inhabitants of the park. Though the government promised to buy firefighting helicopters in the aftermath of the wildfire in the Simien National Park, the promise has not yet been fulfilled,” he said.
The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority General Manager Adane Tsegaye (PhD) attributed financial constraints as the reason not to purchase firefighting helicopters and deliver them to parks. Due attention has been given by the government to acquiring helicopters and other modern technologies that will help to curtail the impact of wildfires.
Though Ethiopia managed to control the 2019 wildfire in Simien National Park by borrowing firefighting helicopters from the neighboring country, the process was time-consuming. Due to the rapid and extensive damage of wildfire, obtaining such technologies has an indispensable benefit.
The existence of helicopters and other materials used for fighting wildfire has paramount importance in easily controlling wildfires thereby protecting parks, and securing wildlife, thus contributing to tourism development. Accordingly, the authority strives for conserving wildlife sustainably through undertaking various mechanisms.
Preparing General Management Plan (GMP), fencing the parks, combating illegal public settlement, searching donors, and the likes are the main activities the authority has given due emphasis over the past eight months. In this regard, 7 national parks have gained GMP and the remaining will obtain a similar advantage very soon, which would bring a significant outcome in protecting wildlife.
As to him, previously some wildlife was exposed to extinction due to illegal settlement- absence of clear demarcation of the parks from the surrounding areas- hunting, illegal farming, and so on. For instance, ten persons and ten elephants died at Babili National Park over the past eight months.
According to the GM, after the authority makes strong measures in collaboration with stakeholders in putting a clear demarcation between the parks and the residents, the wildlife has recovered. For example, the Semien Mountain National Park was about to be delisted from UNESCO as Walia Ibex and elephants were extinct.
Moreover, the Simien Mountain National Parks is back to its former status and it extends from 162 to 418Km2 by working in coordination with the State’s government. The number of elephants in Babili reached over 900 and that of Oryx has increased from 300 to 700 after significant activities took place.
Currently, Ethiopia has 13 national parks that have been administered by the authority and other 14 national parks administered by the state government. The authority has provided technical and budget support to the protection of national parks across the country.
As to him, fencing parks, combating illegal settlement, searching alternative economies for residents and the like measures have been taken by the Authority in collaboration with federal police, security forces, and the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority.
The Ethiopian Herald April 14/2023
