Currently, Ethiopia has more than 20 national parks that embrace diversified wildlife and plat species. Most of the national parks solely inhibited the Ethiopian endemic animals such as the Walia Ibex, Red Fox, Gelada Baboon, Menelik Bushbuck, among others. The parks are preferable for the wild animals following its topography, forest coverage, weather condition, and restrictions for human interventions.
However, settlements, cultivation, livestock grazing and other unsustainable resource uses in National Parks pose a series challenge to the efforts of effective wildlife conservation in the country. Settlements, cultivation, livestock grazing and other unsustainable resource uses in National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries are illegal under current legislation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) so as to ensure safety of national parks.
Experts underscored that it is important to properly manage and conserve the national parks to harness its tourism potentials. Sustainable conservation and development of national parks will have significant socio-economic contributions to the nation.
Thus, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority has been taking various measures to mobilize the public towards sustainable conservation of national parks through successive awareness creation, rehabilitation works, and concrete measures on violations.
Recently, the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority disclosed that the Bale Mountains National Park is in very final stages of inscription as one of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Heritage Sites.
The Authority’s National Parks Administration CEO, Adane Tsegaye (PhD) told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that the efforts to inscribe “Bale Mountains National Park” on the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site have been finalized.
As to him, the authority is working in collaboration with partner agencies and community members to ensure the participation of communities by raising their awareness on the importance of protecting the parks.
It was learnt that during the last fiscal year, various national parks generated over 132 million Birr having visited by local and foreign tourists.
According to Adane, the Authority has been carrying out various activities to overcome some of the challenges that used to hinder the inscription of the park as a world heritage site.
He said that committees were formed drawn from the public and leaders of the Oromia state in a bid to facilitate conditions for citizens living in the park and prepare a new place for them. Various measures are being taken to stop the frequent wildfires in parks, he said adding that Park experts and other important personnel were trained by importing materials and inviting trainers from other countries so as to prevent park wildfires.
Adane, therefore, said that the wildfire that broke out in the Simien National Park was easily controlled. Accordingly, Ethiopia has not benefited from its parks yet since it has not exploited well its resources in this end.
“The budget allocated to the wildlife protection authority and the parks is too low, so it is not enough to attract visitors by completing the necessary infrastructure as well as what visitors need. There are opportunities of course to overcome the problems and collect revenue that can be equated with that of other countries,” He said.
He highlighted that the annual Green legacy program is significantly useful in conserving parks and creating a better living environment for wild life. In Ethiopia, the Semen Mountains National Park was registered as a world Natural Heritage site in 1978.
The registration of Bale Mountains National Park under the UNESCO prestigious heritage list sought to motivate the community to the sustainable conservation and development of the park. It is also helpful to decrease human-wildlife conflict through generating sustainable income to the community.
Accordingly, within a range extended an altitude of 1500 to 4377 meter above sea level the Bale Mountains National Park is endowed by tracts of mountain grassland, forest and Afro-alpine moorland. The park is known by its diversified wildlife resources and affluent endemic birds and mammals, he noted.
Based on the densest wildlife resources and its biodiversity richness the park listed as a tentative UNESCO’s World Heritage site. Ethiopia is one of top ten African birding destination, along with Bale Mountain’s National Park has most popular access for the country’s avifauna.
More importantly, Bale Mountains National Park is located 400 km southeast of Addis Ababa. It contains a spectacularly diverse landscape, flora, and fauna. The high altitude, afro-montane Sanetti Plateau rises to over 4,000 meters above sea level and includes one of the highest peaks in the southern Ethiopia highlands. This undulating plateau is marked by numerous glacial lakes and swamps and surrounded by higher volcanic ridges and peaks. The southern slopes are also covered by the lush and largely unexplored Harena Forest.
Development partners such as Africa Wildlife Conservation, Frankfurt Zoological Society are also engaged in conservation works of Ethiopian national parks and the wildlife resources. Thus, the integration of works at federal, regional, and development partners is crucial for successful conservation activities.
BY TEWODROS KASSA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 4 AUGUST 2023
