GAP ANALYSIS OF THE PROTECTED AREAS SYSTEM OF THE ETHIOPIA Executive Summary Daan Vreugdenhil Astrid Vreugdenhil Tamirat Tilahun Anteneh Shimelis Zelealem Tefera With contributions from Leo Nagelkerke, Kai Gedeon, Steve Spawls, Derek Yalden, Lakew Berhanu and Ludwig Siege Addis Ababa, April, 2012 Elaborated by the World Institute for Conservation and Environment on behalf of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority with funding from the GEF / UNDP / SDPASE project Gap Analysis of the protected areas system of Ethiopia, Executive Summary The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) has been charged by the Government and UNDP to implement the project “Sustainable Development of the Protected Areas System of Ethiopia (SDPASE). The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility GEF / United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). SDPASE has contracted the study "Gap Analysis of the Protected Areas System of Ethiopia" to the World Institute for Conservation and Environment (WICE). This is the executive summery of the main study, presented as a separate document to facilitate decision takers to quickly see and review all conclusions and recommendations of the main document without having to read through the technical information in the main document. There is a risk however, that some wording may come over somewhat intense out of context and the main document should always be consulted to comprehend the full intention of the summary. Furthermore, the authors like to remind the readers that the study had to be carried out during a short period as the GoE and the Governments of the Regional States urgently needed critical information to respond of time to rapidly changing socio-economical developments. As a result, some conclusions are likely to change as more information becomes available, while recommendations are not cast in stone but rather suggestions for consideration and further evaluation. Being the executive summary, this document does not contain a table of content, a table of acronyms nor does it list the cited literature. For all detailed information, we refer to the main document. The content of the document is the sole Responsibility of WICE and does not necessarily reflect the points of view of EWCA, GIZ, UNDP or of the technical contributorsf. The document should be cited as: Vreugdenhil, D. Vreugdenhil, A. D., Tamirat Tilahun, Anteneh Shimelis, Zelealem Tefera, 2011. Gap Analysis of the Ethiopia Protected Areas System, Executive Summary, with technical contributions from Nagelkerke, L., Gedeon, K., Spawls, S. and Yalden, D., Lakew Berhanu, and Siege, L. World Institute for Conservation and Environment, USA. Only photographs from other sources than the authors and technical contributors are credited. Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) Phone: +251-115-514-389 Fax: +251-115-546-804 E-mail: [email protected] Coffee and Tea Authority Building, Ras Mekonnen Avenue P. O. Box 386 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. UNDP GIZ EWCA SDPASE GEF WICE WICE 1 Gap Analysis of the protected areas system of Ethiopia, Executive Summary MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE ETHIOPIAN WILDLIFECONSERVATION AUTHORITY The Sustainable Development of the Protected Area System of Ethiopia [SDPASE] Project, which is financially supported by the Global Environment Facility [GEF]/UNDP is working to achieve its mandated tasks. Since it came in to existence in October 2008 SDPASE has introduced new ideas and studies in to the system. This has created a vibrant atmosphere in the sector both at federal and regional level. In its ongoing effort, SDPASE has commissioned a study to identify the conservation gaps in Ethiopia’s protected areas system. This "Gap Analysis of the Protected Areas System of Ethiopia" has identified and mapped more than 20 areas that are absent or under-represented in the current protected areas system. The study is important to us inEthiopia because these areas represent ecosystems, landscapes and species in which our unique culture has developed over thousands of years, while our natural heritage depends on the conservation of these areas. This study will help Ethiopia in completing its protected areas system. The objective of our protected areas is not only to protect wild animals and plants. Conservation means much more than that. Our protected areas play an important role in the sustainable development of our national economy by providing environmental services such as offering ecotourism and safari experiences to the now rapidly growing tourism sector, thus contributing to the thousands of new jobs that are added each year by the tourism industry. Moreover, they create a healthy environment in the form of clean water and air, the provision of water for irrigated agriculture and electricity production, the mitigation of climate change to name a few. This study is very useful for the proper conservation of our natural resources. The investigation of this study was carried out using both national and international expertise. The study clearly shows that these protected areas are important avenues in fighting climate change, especially in a country like Ethiopia which is currently being affected with the impact of climate change. Finally, I hope this study will contribute to improved management of our natural resources in our protected areas and benefit Ethiopians in all parts of the country. Ewnetu Bilata, Director General of EWCA WICE 2 Gap Analysis of the protected areas system of Ethiopia, Executive Summary MESSAGE FROM THE RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE OF UNDP I am pleased to introduce this study of the UNDP-GEF supported "Sustainable Development of the Protected Areas System of Ethiopia" project. The overall Goal of the project is “Ethiopia’s biodiversity, ecosystems and ecological processes are effectively safeguarded from human-induced pressures and adequately represented in a sustainable Protected Areas System that is contributing significantly to economic development, both locally and nationally”. The study systematically fills the gaps in knowledge about biodiversity based on scientific criteria and identifies areas needed to complete the Ethiopian Protected Areas System with a realistic representation of the country's still surviving biodiversity. The existing protected areas have been analysed on compliance with the international criteria on “Ecoregions” and “Hot Spot”. Additionally, the study produced the “Ecosystems Map of Ethiopia” and updated the known knowledge on the distribution of “species of special concern”. On the basis of both criteria – ecosystems and species – a representativeness analysis was conducted. More that 20 locations were found that would need to be added to the Protected Areas System of Ethiopia for it to be reasonably representative. The study also takes into consideration geomorphological highlights of international significance, important socio-economic criteria, such as water-based ecosystem services and tourism, each of which can contribute to employment and strengthen the economy. Biodiversity conservation in Ethiopia is at dire straits and it is feared that neither EWCA nor the Regional Protected Areas Administrations can succeed by themselves to achieve the minimum required programmes to sustainably protect a representative selection of biodiversity. It is recommended that EWCA and mandated Regional States' Offices collaborate in managing the protected areas of national and global significance in concert with the local communities. While the national parks of Ethiopia lag behind in visitation compared to the Ethiopia's sites with famous historical monuments, the study stresses their importance for both the national and local economies. The study found that over the past decade, the number of foreign national park visitors has grown with more that 17%; If this growth continues, foreign visitation can grow to more than 700 000 in the next few decades. The national parks are mostly located in other regions than the cultural highlights; Without parks those regions would mostly forego the economic and employment benefits that the tourism sector can provide to otherwise primarily agricultural communities. While economic opportunities are clearly within reach, the authors express their concern that the biodiversity resources in each of the national parks and new areas to be included live under great pressure from land use – particularly grazing – and inhabitation. With less than 8 % of the national territory being protected, most of which to some degree inhabited, less that 70% of the species may be expected to survive; Business As Usual management and climate change would further reduce that percentage and many species important for global conservation as well as for the tourism sector are likely to disappear for good. Nevertheless, the authors are optimistic that a collaboration among the Federal and Regional State Governments and local communities will result in a win-win situation in which the local economies would prosper, while the biological heritage of the Nation would thrive in well-managed beautiful national parks. Eugene Owusu, UNDP Resident Representative, UN Resident Coordinator & UN Humanitarian Coordinator WICE 3 Gap Analysis of the protected areas system of Ethiopia, Executive Summary Figure 1: The mystic gnarled moss curtain clad Giant Erica forests, in Bale Mountains National Park are among the key elements that shape the international image of Ethiopia's nature. WICE 4 Gap Analysis