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

categories (Bishop et al. 2004). Among the many purposes of the IUCN categories is to provide a
framework for the development of a management plan tailored to national and local circumstances.
Managing protected areas in developing countries presents a number of challenges, particularly
reconciling the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem processes with the livelihoods of resource
dependent communities. This is acutely so in Ethiopia, a country with significant challenges of
conserving globally unique biodiversity whilst lifting rural communities out of poverty. Rare and
globally unique species and exceptional levels of endemism are found in both the arid areas in the
Horn of Africa and also on the mesic highland plateau, of which the Bale Mountains are a part. This
endemism has resulted in these two eco-regions being within the 34 Conservation International
Biodiversity Hotspots (Williams et al. 2005). In addition to the highland endemic biodiversity, 80%
of Ethiopia’s total population of 73 million live in the highlands - the vast majority of whom are
entirely dependent on natural resources. Consequently, 97% of the original highland vegetation has
already been lost in recent decades as a result of encroaching agriculture, grazing and settlement
by agro-pastoral communities. The last remnants of Ethiopia’s natural ecosystems, including many
globally unique species, face an uncertain future, as do impoverished communities who rely on a
secure natural resource base for their livelihoods and well being.
The Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) in south-eastern Ethiopia is the most important
conservation area in Ethiopia (FDRE 2005) and is of exceptional cultural and socio–economic
importance to permanent and seasonal residents and millions of lowland people in the south-east of
Ethiopia and Somalia. The 2,200 km2 park contains the world’s largest expanse of Afroalpine and
protects a significant part of Ethiopia’s second largest moist tropical forest. Stretching from 4,377
m a.s.l. down to 1,500 m a.s.l. the BMNP includes Afro-alpine moorland, wetlands, Juniper and
Hagenia woodlands, Erica heath and a montane forest with cloud forest at 3,200 m a.s.l. down to
dry high canopy forest with indigenous coffee at 1,500 m a.s.l.
The Bale massif is a centre of endemism and the most important area for a number of threatened
Ethiopian endemics of all taxa. It gives rise to major rivers of regional importance and has critical
dry season water-holding capacity in the wetlands, lakes and forest. These hydrological services
support approximately 12 million downstream users in south-eastern Ethiopia, central Somalia and
parts of Kenya and the conservation of the hydrological system is a primary purpose of the BMNP.
The park also plays a central role in protecting the livelihoods of local residents and neighbouring
communities, particularly through non-timber forest products (NTFPs), grazing and fuelwood (see
Tesfaye this edition; Watson et al. this edition). The mountains themselves are of significant value
within the local Oromo culture, having both cultural and spiritual sites, but also by virtue of being
a living centre of the local culture and traditions (Chiodi and Pinard this edition). These values,
together with its outstanding scenic value, combine to offer enormous tourism potential, which
remains largely untapped (Admasu et al. this edition).
It was within this complex and critical context that the Bale Mountains National Park General
Management Plan (GMP) was formulated (OARDB 2007). The plan seeks innovative solutions
to reconcile conservation of globally unique biodiversity with sustainable livelihoods of resourcedependent
communities living within and adjacent to the national park.
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