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

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The <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong><br />

Figure 1. The known range of <strong>the</strong> mountain nyala<br />

The <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> cover a large expanse of Ethiopia’s sou<strong>the</strong>rn highlands with nearly 3,500 km2 of Afro-alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems. The Harenna Forest, part of a dense band of wet m<strong>on</strong>tane<br />

forest between 1,500 and 3,200 m, covers almost 5,000 km2 <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn and western slopes.<br />

Mountain nyala are known to occur in five partially disjunct populati<strong>on</strong>s but are also suspected to<br />

inhabit unexplored areas <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn slopes of <strong>the</strong> massif. In 1970, BMNP was created to protect<br />

mountain nyala and Ethiopian wolf populati<strong>on</strong>s and <strong>the</strong>ir critical habitats (Waltermire 1975). The<br />

park is centrally situated in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> and covers approximately 2,200 km2 (Fig. 1)<br />

The grasslands and shrublands of <strong>the</strong> Gaysay Valley (including those at <strong>the</strong> Park’s<br />

headquarters), in <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn tip of BMNP, now support <strong>the</strong> highest density of mountain nyala and<br />

<strong>the</strong> best studied over <strong>the</strong> years. This area was not menti<strong>on</strong>ed by Brown (1969), and <strong>the</strong> species was<br />

rare in <strong>the</strong> area in <strong>the</strong> 1970s and early 1980s (T. Hundessa 2002 pers comm; J. Malcolm pers obs).<br />

The Gaysay Valley is situated near <strong>the</strong> park’s headquarters and has been regularly visited by tourists.<br />

As a result, wildlife and habitat in <strong>the</strong> area have been well protected over <strong>the</strong> years and mountain<br />

nyala populati<strong>on</strong>s grew rapidly. By 1987, it was possible to see herds of up to 500 mountain nyala<br />

<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gaysay grasslands in <strong>the</strong> evening. Transect data from Gaysay, initiated by <strong>the</strong> park in 1985<br />

showed rates of 20-26 mountain nyala per kilometre of transect (Stephens et al. 2001). During <strong>the</strong><br />

change of government in 1991, civil unrest in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> regi<strong>on</strong> resulted in <strong>the</strong> illegal killing of many<br />

wildlife species and <strong>the</strong> movement of people into <strong>the</strong> park (Woldegebriel 1997). Some of <strong>the</strong>se areas<br />

have never been reclaimed by <strong>the</strong> park and <strong>the</strong> level of protecti<strong>on</strong> has been greatly reduced. Transects<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> 41

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