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

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Livestock Grazing in <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> Nati<strong>on</strong>al Park, Ethiopia: Past, Present and<br />

Future<br />

Flavie Vial 1,2,3* , David W. Macd<strong>on</strong>ald 2 and Daniel T. Hayd<strong>on</strong> 1<br />

1 Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow,<br />

G11 6qq, UK<br />

2 Wildlife C<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> Research Unit, University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Tubney<br />

House, Abingd<strong>on</strong> Road, Tubney, Abingd<strong>on</strong>, Ox13 5qL, UK<br />

3 Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong><br />

L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong>, W2 1PG<br />

*Email: f.vial@imperial.ac.uk<br />

Abstract<br />

All ecosystems are subject to changes, often arising from <strong>the</strong> cumulative stresses imposed by ever<br />

increasing human demands <strong>on</strong> ecosystem resources. Anticipating when <strong>the</strong> limits of acceptable<br />

change might be exceeded is a c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> imperative. In this review, we discuss <strong>the</strong> Oromo<br />

pastoralists’ land-use within <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> Nati<strong>on</strong>al Park (BMNP) and how such “open access”<br />

utilisati<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong> Afroalpine for livestock grazing may threaten <strong>the</strong> park’s c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> goals. We<br />

also present past and <strong>on</strong>going research aimed at quantifying <strong>the</strong> envir<strong>on</strong>mental impact of grazing<br />

<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> functi<strong>on</strong>ing of <strong>the</strong> Afroalpine ecosystem, and highlight <strong>the</strong> future research priorities <strong>on</strong> this<br />

issue, as well as <strong>the</strong> need for <strong>the</strong> park to develop management tools to resp<strong>on</strong>d to this large-scale<br />

threat.<br />

The Past<br />

Pastoralism and land use in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong>, Ethiopia: Past, present and threats<br />

Pastoralism is a significant socio-ec<strong>on</strong>omic sector in East Africa. Indigenous resource tenure systems<br />

have evolved to meet <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>straints of local, often difficult, envir<strong>on</strong>ments and to facilitate <strong>the</strong><br />

operati<strong>on</strong> of complex spatial and temporal land use patterns (Behnke et al. 1993). The communities<br />

in and around BMNP have traditi<strong>on</strong>ally herded cattle, sheep and goats sold for cash, bartered for<br />

commodities and generally kept as a saving investment. Traditi<strong>on</strong>ally, <strong>the</strong> transhumance system<br />

of Oromo pastoralists, known as <strong>the</strong> Godantu system, was a key feature of human use of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong><br />

<strong>Mountains</strong> (see Chiodi and Pinard this editi<strong>on</strong>). They moved <strong>the</strong>ir livestock seas<strong>on</strong>ally in order to<br />

exploit areas away from <strong>the</strong>ir permanent settlement sites. Under <strong>the</strong> Godantu system, peak livestock<br />

numbers occurred in <strong>the</strong> Afroalpine (habitats >3,000m a.s.l.) in <strong>the</strong> wetter m<strong>on</strong>ths, from April to<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>Walia</str<strong>on</strong>g>-<str<strong>on</strong>g>Special</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Editi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> 197

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