Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

Mammals of the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia: A Compiled and
Annotated Checklist
Addisu Asefa
Bale Mountains National Park, PO Box 107, Bale, Goba, Ethiopia
Email: adde_bird@yahoo.com
Abstract
Basic data on mammals of the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), including an updated species
checklist, have not been systematically compiled and published since 1993. In this review paper I use
published and unpublished data, as well as personal records made on an ad hoc basis, to provide an
updated species checklist of mammals of the BMNP. At least 78 species of mammals, belonging to
nine orders and 23 families of mammalian groups, are known to occur in the BMNP. Twenty (26%)
of the total species reported here are endemic to Ethiopia representing 40% and 67% of the total
mammal species and endemics, respectively, occurring in the Ethiopian highlands. Further, at least
five species are presumed to be confined to the Bale Mountains area while another five species are
locally endemic. The present trend of ecological degradation in the Bale Mountains is a severe threat
to the conservation of biodiversity overall, but particularly the survival of rare and range restricted
species. Therefore, to ensure the long-term survival of species, the maintenance of mammal species
diversity and the integrity and proper functioning of the Bale Mountains ecosystems, a thorough
understanding of aspects of their ecology and the major factors threatening their persistence is
crucial, as such data would help design appropriate conservation and management measures.
Introduction
Ethiopia’s geographical location, diverse ecosystems and various climatic conditions have resulted
in diversification of its flora and fauna (Yalden 1983). The country is one of the top 25 biodiversity
rich countries in the world (Woldemariam 2007). Much of the country’s wildlife diversity occurs
in the highlands (Williams et al. 2004), which arise from the vast extent and isolation of Ethiopian
highlands within the Afro-tropical region (Yalden 1983). The Bale Mountains of south-eastern
Ethiopia form the largest continuous area above 3000 m a.s.l. in Africa, supporting the most extensive
area of Afroalpine and sub-Afroalpine [Ericaceous] vegetation on the continent (Miehe and Miehe
1994). The Bale Mountains have a distinct endemic flora and fauna, resulting from a combination
of large area, isolation from the rest of Ethiopian highlands and climatic history (Yalden and Largen
1992; Hillman 1988; Williams et al. 2004).
<strong>Walia</strong>-<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Edition</strong> on the Bale Mountains 3