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

The Ericaceous belt of the Bale Mountains is the zone most seriously affected by progressively
increasing human activities. Cattle and horses exert heavy pressure on the vegetation, especially at
the lower altitudes. The Ericaceous shrubs are cut for fuel wood and are frequently burnt by the
local people for various reasons (Abera and Kinahan this edition). This leads to destruction of the
vegetation, disappearance of the fauna and flora, and hence reduction in the biodiversity of the
region. Moreover, the Bale Mountains are the water catchment area for eight major rivers and the
source of a large number of smaller streams; so possible consequences of changes in the water
retention capacity might have far-reaching consequences.
The woody species are the main sources of energy and construction in the region. As fuel
wood is consumed every day, supplementary fuel from plantation forests is urgently required to
reduce pressure on the natural forest. Unfortunately hardly any forests were planted in the region
so far.
The number of unemployed people is steadily increasing, and cutting and removing trees is
becoming more and more important as a job. Thus, alternative income-generating activities need
to be introduced. Though local people have full access to the forest (there is not much control by
governmental or national park officials), they have not developed an attitude of ownership. This
would require changes in the existing forest and land use policy (Tadesse et al. this edition). At
present, farmers are complaining about the shortage of grazing land, and this resulted in uncontrolled
expansion of grazing into the lower subzone of the Ericaceous belt.
Effective conservation of this fragile ecosystem requires reliable data on the ecology of
the habitats. More data are needed on the relative importance of abiotic conditions (e.g. thermal
conditions with respect to global change) and anthropo-zoogenic impact; studies on these issues
should include records on permanent plots. Creation of awareness among the local population,
plus their participation in the management, and a clear commitment by the relevant parts of the
government are also essential (Tadesse et al. this edition).
Acknowledgements
Financial support for the study from Volkswagen-Foundation, and the Ministry for International
Cooperation, both Germany, are gratefully acknowledged. We thank the staff of the National
Herbarium, Addis Ababa for their assistance in plant identification.
References
Beentje, H.J. 1994. Kenya Trees Shrubs and Lianas. National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi.
Bonnefille, R. 1993. Evidence for a cooler and drier climate in the Ethiopian Uplands, 1.5 Million
years ago. Nature, 303: 487-491.
Brown, H., 1973. Conservation for Survival: Ethiopia‘s Choice. Haile Selassie I University Press,
Addis.
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