FEBRUARY 1986 Vol. 3 No. 4 - - Wildland Management Center School of Natural Resources Technical BulletinReprint ,he"ni,rsityof.ich,g,. From The New York Zoological Society Conservation in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains by Dr. Jesse C. Hillman In 1986, a National Park was propos- endemic subspecies. support for the endemic Simien "Fox", ed in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains to con- Above the treeline the slopes are actually a long-legged, long-snouted serve two of that country's endemic covered in giant heather moorlands, jackal, as well as numbers of birds of large mammal species - the Moun- but these soon give way to Afro-alpine Prey. tain Nyala and the Simien Fox. Little vegetation on the cold and high Sanetti The mountain massif falls away was known of either species, but what Plateau. Several peaks of over 4,000 sharply to the south through a heather was known suggested that numbers m rise from the plateau, including Tullu and bamboocoveredescarpment, and were low and both species were Deemtu, at 4,377 m the second the southern half of the Park is a localized to just a few mountain tops. highest peak in the country. This area dense, tropical moist forest known as Management of the areas as a Na- comprises 42% of the total and is the Harenna Forest. This area com- tional Park began in 1970 and has con- characterized by sparse, short vegeta- prises 48% of the total and ranges in tinued since that time, though the Park tion adapted to low rainfall, altitude from 1,500 m to 3,400 m, from remains ungazetted. The number of temperatures that reach minus 150C dry wooded grasslands, through dense Mountain Nyala increased dramatically at night in the dry season, and drying Podocarpus forest to mixed bamboo as a result of localised protection, but winds. forest and heather covered slopes. little was known about the rest of this The plants must also withstand the large and rugged mountain massif. ravages of a dense rodent population THE STUDY Contacts were made between the of 9 species that includes the endemic The objectives of the study were: Ethiopian Government and Dr. David Giant Molerat, a "gopher-like" 1) To make a catalogue inventory of Western, Resource Ecologist of creature weighing a kilo that harvests Wildlife Conservation International food above ground, but lives below (WICI), a division of the New York ground. This rodent population is the Please turn to the next page Zoological Society. The services of an ecologist were requested to study the Park ecosystem and to make recom- mendations for the future manage- ment of this 2,200 km2mountain area. Dr. Jesse C. Hillman began work in the Bale Mountains in October 1983 and has just completed two years of study A young Mountain in the area. He has worked closely with Nyala: an the staff of the Ethiopian Government endangered antelope of the Bale Wildlife Conservation Organization Mountains (EWCO). The Park comprises three main habitats which are not used equally by the various wildlife species. The north- ern woodlands and grasslands range from 3,000 m altitude to the treeline at 3,400 m, but only comprise 10% of the Park area. This is where the greatest numbers of the Mountain Nyala exist, together with other antelope species - the Bohor Reedbuck, Common Duiker and Menelik's Bushbuck, an Bale Mountains continued the entire Park area, its boundaries, from exploration of the rest of the Park population of Mountain Nyala in flora and fauna, and the part man plays have indicated that there are none in Ethiopia. Others occur in relict habitat in the environment. the Harenna Forest and very few in the on a few high peaks of the Eastern 2) To obtain more detailed informa- main mountain massif. Probably 95% Highlands and probably number less tion on the requirements of the target of the total population occurs in the than two thousands. There are none in conservation species - the Mountain small northern area. Fifteen years ago, captivity. Nyala and Simien Fox. however, it was considered a good The Simien Fox population is small 3) To formulate management plans month if 5 animals were seen there; (around 750 animals) and is almost en- for the Park, recommending to the now as a result of conservation by tirely confined to the high mountain Ethiopian Government the best ways EWCO, over 500 hundred different in- area. In contrast to the Mountain to manage the area in the future. dividuals can be seen in a single Nyala, these animals show almost no It soon became evident that while afternoon. fear of humans, particularly those in the numbers of Mountain Nyala in the The northern area is crossed by a vehicles. This lack of fear, combined northern grasslands and woodland major communication route through with drivers' superstitions that a wild were high, this was a localised the mountains used by vehicles, peo- canid crossing the road brings bad phenomenon. In addition, all Park ple on foot and horseback, and large luck, has resulted in some deaths on Management is concentrated in this numbers of domestic livestock. Moun- the new road across the plateau. The small area (less than 10% of the tain Nyala will stand within 200 m of Simien Fox have been shown to feed whole), since it is easily accessible, the this route without undue alarm. On the entirely on the plentiful rodents, but will Park HQ is there and it is the best rare ocasions when they are seen in take carrion. Movements appear to be wildlife area. Monthly monitors of this the mountains, however, they disap- fairly limited, and care of the young is northern area and the resighting rate pear over the horizon as fast as possi- communal, as with several other jackal of known individual animals have in- ble, whether from vehicles on the one species. Only two other much smaller dicated a population in the region of road that crosses the plateau or from populations are known to exist in one thousand Mountain Nyala. Data people on foot or horseback. Poaching Ethiopia, in the Arssi and Simien is non-existent; however, limited Mountains. Like the Mountain Nyala, pastoralist settlement occurs in the there are no Simien Fox in captivity. Endangered Species mountain area, and disturbance is in- Apart from the use of parts of the creased as a result of large numbers mountain range for grazing and Technical Bulletin of livestock going into the mountains mineral supply mentioned earlier, Reprint to make use of naturally-occurring other demands on the environment by mineral springs. man include large amounts of A fo~mfor information An aerial survey and reports from fuelwood and some construction exchange on EWCO personnel and sport hunters in- timber from the woodlands fringing the endangered species from dicate that this is the best remaining Please turn to Reprint page 3 The Wildland Management Center School of Natural Resources The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (313) 763-1312 David F. Hales ...........Director Paul Larmer ...............Editor Publication of the Reprint is made possible by gifts from The Simien Fox: a long-legged, Ic American Natural Resources Co. Detroit, Michigan snouted jackal. Chevron U.S.A., Inc. San Francisco, California Chicago Zoological Society Chicago, Illinois National Wildllfe Federation Washington, D.C. Annual Subscriptions for the Endangered Species Technical Bulletin Reprint are $1 2.00. (Canada: $17 US) Send check or money order (made payable to: The University of Michigan) to: Endangered Species Technical Bulletin School of Natural Resources The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1 115 Bale Mountains continued mountains. These supplies are need- 2) Formal legal gazettment of the resources in the areas bordering the ed by the burgeoning rural and urban Park's boundaries is a prime Park. populations on the grain-growing requiremment. The Management Plan is now being plateau surrounding the north of the 3) Two minor changes to the propos- revised as recommended by the Park. The Harenna Forest represents ed boundaries will ensure more suc- Workshop, and will then be used to considerable logging potential both in- cessful conservation of optimum solicit international funding for im- side and outside the Park. However, Mountain Nyala and Simien Fox plementation of the recommendations. the whole mountain massif and forest habitat. Foremost among the conclusions of area also protect a major water catch- 4) Park Management must become the Workshop participants was the ment area that supplies four major extensive through the construction of realization that this Park has a part to rivers via 40 tributaries. These four outposts and a sub-headquarters in play in human development of the area rivers, the Web, Wabe Shebelle, order to conserve more succbssfully and in the conservation of the environ- Dumal and Welmel, continue to sup- the entire Park area. ment and the natural ecological pro- ply all the arid lowland Bale Region, as 5) Settlement and human activities cesses on which man closely depends. well as much of the neighboring coun- in the Park area must be removed The critical environmental problems try of Somalia. Major modification of andlor carefully regulated in order to currehtly being experienced in their catchment will undoubtedly affect conserve the water catchment and Ethiopia have made the Government catchment and flow regulation flow regulation characteristics of the acutely aware of the need to consider characteristics. mountains. these factors in all developmental Management Plans for the area 6) The Park must participate in proposals. have now been completed, and were sustained-yield management of natural presented at an International Workshop held in Bale in October 1985.