Bale Mountains National Park - Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt

Development therefore engaged with the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plants Project to develop a General Management Plan for the Park.
A GMP is an essential tool that identifies management needs, sets priorities and organises longterm
management strategies. When faced with limited resources a GMP allows managers to
prioritise needs and allocate resources appropriately. In addition, a GMP provides continuity in
management policy and practice, particularly when staff members are transferred. Possibly most
importantly in this context, a GMP is an important fund-raising tool, especially as we work to secure
long-term sustainable financing for the Bale Mountains National Park.
I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in developing this GMP. They have used a
logical and participative process that has been based on best practice developed internationally.
The plan recognises the realities and pressures that face our Park today but includes realistic
approaches and practical actions that are founded on partnerships, to address these problems and
issues. Zonation and voluntary resettlement tackle the reality of people who have a historical right
to land within the park. But it does not shirk our responsibility to safeguard our heritage and this
ecosystem. There are conservation zones with the strictest protection. However, the approach
embraces community participation, by joining with rightful users in Conservation and Natural
Resource Management Zones to bring the current unmanaged use of resources under control;
whilst simultaneously looking to adapt livelihoods to conservation friendly practices. In all zones
cultural access to important sites is agreed. The ultimate goal of this park is to protect the
ecosystem, and this will never change. This is a dynamic GMP that will achieve this goal whilst
working within the bounds of realism and current conservation best practice.
It is now our duty to implement this plan and we are determined that this GMP will not sit on a shelf
as so many others do throughout the world. We have a 10 year opportunity to build partnerships to
conserve the Bale Mountains National Park for the long-term. We therefore call on current and
future partners to work with us to secure one of the most important conservation areas on earth.
Abadula Gemeda
President of Oromia Regional Government
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