Papers by Mustefa Sultan Dalu
Effective forest use and management/governance requires a deeper understanding of forest's multip... more Effective forest use and management/governance requires a deeper understanding of forest's multiple socioeconomic functions or benefits at various scales, in particular at local level. Hence, reliable and up to-date information on the state of forest resources are very important. Thus, the main objective of the study was to assess the cost of forest management at household level. Accordingly, Data were collected through household survey, group discussions and key informant interviews. Statistical methods such as descriptive statistics and Leaner regression was used to analyse data. The results of the study show that the performance of user groups and the attitudes and intention of households towards participating in collective management are associated with level of income and dependence on forest income. User groups that are more dependent on forest income and have higher heterogeneity in terms of dependence on the forest resource have shown lower performance. Forest dependent households have also shown a less positive attitude and intention towards engaging in planting activities. Forest prices were obtained by surveying local markets, and from information from interviews with local residents and from focus group discussions. The amount of forest management cost is calculated by the sum of thinning, cleaning, pruning, patrolling, fie line development, forest products collection costs transaction costs, costs of operational, plan preparation, attending a meeting, Capacity building, material costs and annual membership and fee that a member household has to pay were identified in study. The cost of forest management is estimated by the sum of Forest products collection costs, Transaction costs, Material costs, the annual membership fee that a member household has to pay. Accordingly, results revealed that in the study areas estimation of forest management cost is about 19,925 birr per ha up to the forest can give the actual function. It is recommended that a better outcome in terms of poverty alleviation can be achieved if pro-poor forest-based activities are specifically considered in planning conservation and development interventions.
Forest significantly contributes to household incomes and influences patterns of economic develop... more Forest significantly contributes to household incomes and influences patterns of economic development by promoting sustainable or green development. Yet, effective forest use and management/governance requires a deeper understanding of forest's multiple socioeconomic functions or benefits at various scales, in particular at local level. Hence, reliable and up to-date information on the state of forest resources-not only on area and area change, but also on such variables as economic contribution for household environment and others variables are very important. This study was conducted in Southern Ethiopia in the Oromia region in the district of Dodola. The main objective of the study was to assess the economic contribution of forest resource at household level. Data were collected through household survey, group discussions and key informant interviews. Data was analysed by statistical methods include descriptive statistics, Leaner regression analysis. The results of the study show that forest products are important sources of income contributing to 30% and 51.3% of household per capita income and per capita cash income, respectively. Forest income is an important bumper against extreme poverty by filling seasonal gaps of income and by serving as safety net in times of income crisis. Forest income also provides the opportunity to diversify livelihoods, particularly for low income groups. Households' decisions on livelihood strategies including dependence on forest income are associated with socioeconomic and geographical factors. It is recommended that a better outcome in terms of poverty alleviation can be achieved if pro-poor forest-based activities are specifically considered in planning conservation and development interventions.
Ethiopia's agriculture is heavily dependent on rain-fed with low adaptive capacity entail a high ... more Ethiopia's agriculture is heavily dependent on rain-fed with low adaptive capacity entail a high vulnerability to adverse impacts of climate change. There has been more erratic rainfall, an increase in temperature, droughts, floods, food insecurity and dramatically decreased of water volumes are a major challenge in the area. The objective of this study was to assess farmers' perception and adaptation strategies to climate change in Arsi Negele district. Both Primary data and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected from household's interviews through structured questionnaire; key informants interview, focus group discussion and field observation from three agro-ecological zones. The data were collected from 139 households who were selected through multi-stage sampling techniques. Secondary data were collected from published and unpublished sources. Descriptive statistics, frequency, chi square and percentages were used to assess farmers' perceptions, impacts of climate change, and their adaptation strategies. The Results showed that almost all respondents were perceived that over the past 30 years they have perceived increase in temperature, decrease in precipitation, and irregular rainfall, and there was no divergence between the twin perceptions of farmers and climatic data records. The most common adaptation options include different or new crop varieties, crop diversification, changing planting dates, implementing soil and water conservation practices, adjustment to crop and livestock management, drought tolerant crops, tree planting activities and migration. Therefore it is advisable that Future policy making processes should pay due attention to incorporate action plans that strengthen the already existing autonomous adaptation strategies used by these communities.
Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Heban Arsi district was conducted to document medicin... more Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Heban Arsi district was conducted to document medicinal plants, parts used for medicinal purposes, modes of preparation and routes of administration for remedies. Ethnobotanical data were obtained using Household Survey, Key informant interview and market survey from October 12, 2014 to January 12, 2015. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Science. Ethno medicinal use of 130 medicinal plant species belonging to 112 genera and 61 families were identified and documented. The highest number of medicinal plants was used in Degaga (midland) district (54 species). Out of total medicinal plants 55 (44.35%) species were reported to treat human aliments only. Most of the medicinal plants harvested were herbs (37.50%), followed by trees (36.76%) and the least was lianas 1(0.74%). The root (25.74%) parts of medicinal plants were frequently used, followed by leaves (24.26%), both roots and leaves (9.56%) and seeds (8.82%). The most widely used mode of preparation in study area was crushing (17.65%), followed by pounding (16.91%), powdering (13.97%) and squeezing (5.88%). The most commonly used route of administration was oral (30.88%), followed by dermal only (14.71%), nasal and dermal (11.76%), and nasal only (8.09%). Most of the medicinal plants were reported to be used in fresh (52%) condition to treat diseases. Market survey indicated that most of the medicinal plants were not widely sold in market for medicinal purposes, but for other purposes. Ocimum lamiifolium species was cited by the highest proportion of informants (27.68%) and, Anemia disease category scored the highest number informant consensus factor (0.84) value. Preference ranking indicates that Ocimum lamiifolium ranked first in treating febrile illness human disease and Croton mycrostachyus ranked first in treating blackleg livestock disease in the study area. Simple pairwise comparison indicated that Calpurnia aurea ranked first to treat snake bite disease. Direct matrix ranking revealed that Cordia africana ranked first as a multipurpose medicinal plant.
Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Heban Arsi district was conducted to document medicin... more Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Heban Arsi district was conducted to document medicinal plants, related indigenous knowledge, major threats and conservation practices. Ethnobotanical data were obtained using Household Survey, Key informant interview and market survey from October 12, 2014 to January 12, 2015. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Science. Accordingly, the result of study revealed a Pearson correlation test indicated a positive and significant (r =0.409, p<0.001 and α=0.05) correlation between age group and the number of medicinal plant species reported by the household respondents in the study area. A Pearson correlation test indicated a negative and significant (r =-0.299, p<0.001 and α=0.05) correlation between a level of education and the number of species reported. Agricultural expansion (41.96%) stood first as a factor threatening medicinal plants, followed by firewood collection (33.04%) and overgrazing (25.00%). To support local people effort on in-situ conservation and ex-situ conservation, further research is needed to identify population structure of medicinal plants in the study area. The average number of medicinal plants reported by males was 4.97± 3.38 whereas that of females was 2.90±1.52 (mean ±SD). There was significant difference between male and female in their knowledge of medicinal plants (t= 2.767 and p< 0.009). Lastly Indigenous knowledge should be encouraged and current threats to medicinal plants should be urgently resolved
Oromia, due to its altitudinal and geographic variations, is endowed with diverse wildlife and a ... more Oromia, due to its altitudinal and geographic variations, is endowed with diverse wildlife and a large number of endemic species that provide a unique opportunity for tourist (sport) hunting.
Climate change and variability can lead to an expansion of the areas suitable for malaria transmi... more Climate change and variability can lead to an expansion of the areas suitable for malaria transmission, and thus increase risk of the disease. The purpose of the current study was to examine communities' perception on the association between climate variability and malaria incidence and coping strategies to prevent malaria infection in Arsi Nagelle district, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The study was conducted in three rural kebeles, (Haadha-Boso, Kersa-ilala and Meraro-hawilo) which were purposively selected as representatives of lowland, midland and highland agro-ecological zones of the district respectively. Quantitative data were collected through household questionnaire survey, while qualitative data were collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussion. In an effort to make this research more valid, creditable and applicable secondary sources which are important to the study were reviewed. For the questionnaire survey, 143 rural households were randomly selected from the three rural kebeles. The data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics. An average of 65% of the respondents perceived that there has been increasing in temperature and decreasing in rainfall in the district. However, there was significant difference between lowland and highland dwellers on the perception of the climatic variability. Majority of the respondents in the lowland and midland kebeles (95.70% and 81.80%, respectively) perceived that the increasing of the temperature is causing malaria incidence in their area, while only (59.60%) of the highland household respondents had a similar attitude. Spraying houses with insecticides and the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets were the predominantly adopted preventive strategies against malaria infection practiced in the study area.
Climate change and variability can lead to an expansion of the areas suitable for malaria transmi... more Climate change and variability can lead to an expansion of the areas suitable for malaria transmission, and thus increase risk of the disease. The purpose of the current study was to assess the impacts of climate variability on the incidence of malaria in Arsi Nagelle district, Oromia Regional state, Ethiopia. The study was conducted in three rural kebeles, (Haadha-Boso, Kersa-Ilala and Meraro-Hawulo) which were purposively selected as representatives of lowland, midland and highland agro-ecological zones of the district respectively. Quantitative data were collected through household questionnaire survey, while qualitative data were collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussion. Secondary data such as rainfall and temperature were collected from the National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia; also data on the incidence of malaria cases were collected from the Health Office of the district. For the questionnaire survey, 143 rural households were randomly selected from the three rural Kebeles. The data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, probit regression model and Pearson's correlation analysis. The result revealed that, an average of 65% of the respondents perceived that there has been an increasing temperature and decreasing rainfall in the district. However, there was significant difference between lowland and highland residents on the perception of the climatic variability. The analysis of the secondary data show that, monthly total rainfall was positively correlated with malaria incidence (i.e. the higher the rainfall amount is the higher the incidence of malaria) while mean monthly maximum and mean monthly minimum temperatures were negatively correlated with malaria incidence (i.e. the higher the maximum and minimum temperature will have the probability of being dryness (lower rainfall amount) hence, the lower the incidence of malaria. Educational status, perception and household income, as well as house quality, and accessibility of mosquito nets are the socioeconomic determinants that influence the incidence and transmission of malaria in the study areas. Spraying houses with insecticides and the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets were the predominantly adopted preventive strategies against malaria infection practiced in the study area.
The study on the contributions of protected area for local community livelihood was carried out i... more The study on the contributions of protected area for local community livelihood was carried out in Senkele Swayne's Hartebeest sanctuary (SSHS). Primary data were collected through questionnaire, Key Informant Interview (KII), Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and direct field observation. Secondary data were collected through review of literature. Out of the 32 rural kebeles found in the Siraro district, four kebeles surrounding the sanctuary were purposively selected for the study. Primary data collection involved 151 households for questionnaire survey, 40 discussants for FGD and 12 interviewees for KII. Results of survey point out there were open access resource use and illegal activities particularly illegal hunting in the Senkele area before it's established as a Sanctuary. However, illegal hunting is very rare since the establishment of Sanctuary. It rarely happens when problem animals damage local community property or cause injury to human. The majority of sample households 41.06% were benefited a lot of resources from the sanctuary which includes fire wood, thatching the grass, grazing and collecting medicinal plants. Likewise, about 25.83% of respondents were benefited by thatching grass and grazing inside the sanctuary only. In addition, 11.92% benefited only throughout thatching grass from the area while rest few percent 3.31% privileged by collecting fire wood and livestock grazing. Currently Wildlife is facing malnutrition due to overgrazing by livestock and wildlife behavioral change is observed due to high human disturbance. Regarding to managing current destruction of the sanctuary, 27.2 % of respondents supposed that, the sanctuary could be managed through ensuring protection and conservation while 13.9%, 11.9% and 11.3% respondents stated sanctuary destruction could be managed through benefit sharing, participatory wildlife management and controlling grazing respectively. Some other 10.6% and 9.9% of the respondents said the sanctuary destruction can be managed through awareness creation and controlling illegal activities. Providing alternative means of livelihood like Ecotourism and livelihood diversification for local community is highly recommended.
Suba Sabata is considered as the most ancient park in Africa. Due to its proximity to Addis Abeba... more Suba Sabata is considered as the most ancient park in Africa. Due to its proximity to Addis Abeba its dense forests, diverse wildlife, and scenic landscapes it attracts some 6.200 visitors annually. However its potential for eco-tourism has not been seriously explored. Thus there is a substantial interest of the Enterprise, the private sector and local communities to develop and upscale related activities including touristic infrastructure and accommodation services which to date are limited and antiquated. Based on the site specific strategy's recommendations and field visits to the area, an assessment of potential activities and services was carried out. The activities proposed encompass primarily to improve facilities and infrastructure to enhance the attractiveness of the Forest for diverse ecotouristic activities. At the same time this would also improve opportunities for public-private partnerships and for involving local communities. First priority shall be given to Guided nature observation tours, Trekking and hiking, Horse riding, and Providing accommodation and gastronomic facilities. Apart from capacity development at different management levels at the Enterprise and in the communities, the expected investment and operation costs require to lift up visitor figures to some 15.000 per year in the fifth the of operation, which in turn calls for decent promotion efforts. The total investment costs for the project amount to approx. ETB 1.384.000 whereof-according to present state of knowledge-approximately ETB 725.000 can be contributed by the Project for rehabilitation of infrastructure, training and capacity building. The five year operating result in scenario 1 shows a total net profit of approx. ETB 793.500 which equals almost 35,8 % of the operating costs including costs of keep-up/depreciation. In this scenario it is being assumed that the investment is paid from existing OFWE assets. The venture is profitable already in year one. Cash-flow is expected to grow from-520.000 ETB in year one to about ETB 235.000 in year five. The overall cash-flow in this period is projected at ETB 135.000. This means that under the chosen scenario break-even is reached in the fifth year of operation. The 5-year Net Present Values (NPV) compared to a 5 % bank deposit (scenario 1b) and a 10 % return on investment (scenario 1a) are both positive at ETB 25.000 and ETB 12.800 respectively. The five year operating result in scenario 2 shows a total net profit of approx. ETB 519.000 which equals almost 20,8 % of the operating costs including costs of keep-up/depreciation and interest rate of loan. The venture is profitable already in year one. Cash-flow is expected to grow from-580.000 ETB in year one to about ETB 180.500 in year five. The overall cash-flow in this period is projected at ETB-139.500. This means that under the chosen scenario break-even is reached in the sixth year of operation. The 5-year Net Present Values compared to a 5 % bank deposit (scenario 2b) and a 10 % return on investment (scenario 2a) are both positive at ETB 14.000 and ETB 7.350 respectively. Scenario should be discarded as the interest rate for bank loans is with 8,5 % above the interest rate for bank deposit. With regard to this relatively long payback period, direct benefit sharing from entrance fees with the communities would have to be arranged as a baseline share and could be topped up with a share on pre-tax profit. Besides the option of direct benefit sharing, income opportunities for community members arise from providing services and products (souvenirs) to the visitors. Yet the required capacities still have to be built. INTRODUCTION The Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise (OFWE) considers eco-tourism as one of its core businesses. As eco-tourism is gaining increasing national and international attention, it can provide a substantial opportunity for income generation for local communities and thus is an incentive to sustainable use and management of natural resources. In prior consultancies the tourism potentials of various areas under the administration of the Enterprise including their physical, biological and cultural aspects have been thoroughly assessed and evaluated. Subsequently candidate sites could be ranked according to a set of criteria in order to facilitate the priority setting for future development activities building on both a corporate strategy and site specific strategies.
The study on the attitude and perception of local community toward protected area was carried out... more The study on the attitude and perception of local community toward protected area was carried out in Senkele Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary (SSHS). Primary data was collected through questionnaire survey, key informant interview, focus group discussions and direct field observations. Secondary data were collected through review of literature (activity reports, journal, articles etc). Out of the 32 rural kebeles found in the Siraro district, four kebeles surrounding the sanctuary were purposively selected for the study. Primary data collection involved 151 households for questionnaire survey, 40 discussants for Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and 12 interviewee for Key Informant Interview (KII) (10 experts from the district offices that have been interacting with SSHS in one way or another and two men recognized by the local communities as leaders (Aba Gada) according to the Oromo Gada system in the study area). The analysis of the data revealed that local community have a positive attitude toward the Sanctuary where as they have negative attitude toward sanctuary management system. Local communities have no smooth relation with SSHS staff. This is due to control of access to sanctuary particularly for grazing and the SSHS management didn't care about the interest of the community. Therefore, if the current situation is not reversed, the Sanctuary will not sustain.
Sustainable utilization of wildlife resources is assured through implementing efficient and regul... more Sustainable utilization of wildlife resources is assured through implementing efficient and regulated consumption strategy. Therefore, to ensure the sustainability of the wildlife resources of the controlled hunting areas, timely follow ups, monitoring and evaluation to take proper measures is very essential. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to assess wild animals' population, habitat condition, and set hunting quota in Munessa Kukke Controlled hunting area. Line transects are used to conduct the wildlife census as per the habitat nature of the area. Six lines transect ranging from 2.5km to 5.5km were randomly selected covering 22km length in total. In this case perpendicular sighting distance of 150 meters on both sides of the line transects covering 300 meters in total was used to count forest and thicket animals. All larger mammals encountered along the transects were counted and recorded on the census sheet. Counts were made every morning at dawn from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM hours.Regarding the distribution of the wild animals Mountain Nyala, and Colobus Black and White are relatively evenly distributed throughout the sampled area; whereas Annubis Baboon and Menelik's Bushbuck are recorded in four out of the six line transects.On the subject of the age and sex structure of the recorded wild animals the male to female ratio is more or less fairly represented except in the case of Menelik's Bushbuck where the number of males is about double of the females and no age structure difference is observed and only adults were recorded. Therefore, to investigate the problems and to find out a solution, the team suggests further study to conduct research by concerned bodiesPopulation estimate of the recorded wild animals shows that Mountain Nyala is a relatively at a good population number with an estimate of 985, followed by Annubis Baboon, Colobus Black and White, and Menelik's Bushbuck having 684 ,423 , and 258 respectively.The unfavorable human activities like poaching and expansion for agriculture would have a greater impact on the abundance and distribution of wild animals in the controlled hunting area. It is therefore advisable to all the stake holders to take immediate actions to counter the problems and make sure the wellbeing of the wild animals in the area. Additionally, wildlife conservation awareness program should be further strengthened by concerned stake holders to get the overall support of the community.
Even though natural resources have a certain contribution for development of tourism in Ethiopia ... more Even though natural resources have a certain contribution for development of tourism in Ethiopia with its major contribution to livelihoods of the majority of Ethiopians, large of attractive natural and cultural resources are exposed to degradations or threats due to negligence (EPA, 1997). Therefore, the main objective of this study was assessing Ecotourism Development or alternative options for sustainable use of natural resources which will improve the livelihood of local communities and conservation of SSHS. To this end, the research has attempted to integrate both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Questionnaire, Key informant interview, Focused group discussion, direct observation and literature reviews were employed as instruments of data collection. The participants of the study were members of the local community, community leaders (Aba Geda), and related stakeholders like Agriculture and Rural Development office, Cultural and Tourism office, SSHS experts and Small and Micro enterprise office at woreda administration level. Four Kebeles were selected purposefully from 8 Kebeles which were surrounding the Sanctuary. The collected data using households' survey were analyzed by frequency and Percentage. The findings showed that SSHS and the surrounding community have an excellent opportunity to develop ecotourism as an alternative livelihood. The analyses of the study revealed that natural and cultural resources such as abundance and diversity of bird, mammals, scenic landscape, hot springs, natural caves, waterfall and attractive vegetations are the main ecotourism potential in SSHS. Other opportunities include favorable weather conditions, local institutions and policy. So, developing ecotourism can engage a wide cross section of people and it is the most promising strategy to reduce the sever livelihood and diversify local livelihood options. However, at current time major constraints keep the potential opportunities from being developed. These include: lack of adequate infrastructure, lack of local community involvement and participation and unsustainable livelihood, inter-ethnic conflict, natural resource exploitation and lack of trained manpower. Thus, it is a crucial time for developing ecotourism to protect the beauty and environmental quality of the area and to improve local livelihood. In light of those circumstances, I strongly recommend all the concerned bodies to focus on the significance of developing ecotourism in the SSHS and the surrounding area.
Dhera-Dilfaqar block is a 13.4km 2 area of wildlife habitat that has been designated as a protect... more Dhera-Dilfaqar block is a 13.4km 2 area of wildlife habitat that has been designated as a protected area by Oromia Region in 1995 and harbours some 25 species of mammals and more than 150 bird species. Due to its good access and its proximity to Sodere Resort and to the Adama city, the park offers good prospects for eco-tourism development. Although the Park was declared a protected area, it is still accessible and to some extent used by the bordering communities for grazing and cutting grass for housing. Based on the site specific strategy's recommendations and field visits to the area, an assessment of potential activities and services was carried out. The activities proposed encompass as strong income generating and benefit sharing effect for the local communities while at the same time targeting at generating revenue for the Enterprise from entrance fees. First priority shall be given to guide wildlife observation services, in particular guided wildlife tours on foot, guided tours on horse or camel, and coach rides. These activities at any circumstances shall avoid to overstraining the Park's carrying capacity. However a few constructions works, in particular the establishment of a visitor information centre are required. Even more important is training local community members to providing qualified guide services. In addition some promotion activities are necessary to attract the targeted number of visitors, which is assumed to be rising from approximately 1.000 in the first year to about 5.200 in the fifth year of operation. The cost assessment projects total investment cost for the project amount to approx. ETB 406.000. In scenario 1, with investments paid from existing assets, the 5-years operating result shows a total net profit of approx. ETB 856.500 which equals almost 102 % of the operating cost including costs of keep-up/depreciation. The venture is profitable already in year one. As a result of the investment cost, a cash-flow of approx.-403.300 ETB can be expected for year one. From year two onwards a positive cash-flow development of approx. ETB 70.000 (year two) to approx. ETB 340.900 in year five is being projected. The overall cash-flow in this period is at approx. ETB 453.200. Under the present scenario the break-even point is reached in year four. The 5-year Net Present Values (NPV) compared to a 5 % bank deposit (scenario 1b) and 10 % returns on investment (scenario 1a) respectively are both positive at ETB 928 and ETB 3.360 respectively. In scenario 2, with investments paid from bank loan at 8,5 % interest p.a. an no repayment, the 5-years operating result shows a total net profit of approx. ETB 721.400 which equals almost 86 % of the operating cost including costs of keep-up/depreciation. The venture operates at profitable level from year two onwards. As a result of the investment cost, a cash-flow of approx.-437.700 ETB can be expected for year one. From year two onwards a positive cash-flow development of approx. ETB 36.000 (year two) to approx. ETB 307.000 in year five is being projected. The overall cash-flow in this period is at approx. ETB 283.700. Under the present scenario the break-even point is reached in the course of year five. The 5-year Net Present Values (NPV) compared to a 5 % bank deposit (scenario 2b) and 10 % returns on investment (scenario 2a) respectively are both negative at ETB-3.508 and ETB-2.512 respectively. This means that in the middle run and with an annual number of 3.100 to 5.200 visitors the Park could be run at a quite profitable level and benefit sharing from entrance fees with communities would be feasible. Still, at present it cannot be assessed whether the targeted visitor figures would overstrain the Park's carrying capacity. Besides the option of direct benefit sharing from entrance fees, income opportunities for community members are estimated at minimum 25.000 ETB per thousand visitors. The success of the Park as eco-tourism destination however will mainly depend on a clever and effective marketing strategy.
Article, 2017
The study on the anthropogenic factors affecting protected area was carried out in Senkele Swayne... more The study on the anthropogenic factors affecting protected area was carried out in Senkele Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary (SSHS). discussion (FGD), direct observation and literature reviews w secondary data. Four kebeles were purposefully selected from 8 kebeles surrounding SSHS. Thereafter, about rate of 10 households per kebele were purposefully selected whereas relevant offices and 2 Aba Gada, which accounts a total of 12 key informants were purposefully selected for KII. uncontrolled fire, illegal settlement, deforestation, agricultural expansion and poaching as replied by 66.3%, 8.6%, 7.3%, 13.2%, 2.6% and 2.0% respondents respectively. The causes factors were mainly scarcity of land, enormous livestock and fast population growth as reported by 28.5%, 23.2% and 26.5% respondents respectively. About 37.7%, 27.2%, 15.2% and 19.9% of the respondents indicated that loss of biodiversity agricultural productivity as the main effect of human induced factors to the sanctuary respectively. The survey result also indicated that creating employment opportunity for local community, solving local community's problem, benefit sharing and Ecotourism development as principal solution to anthropogenic factors to SSHS respectively. on the sanctuary particularly for livestock grazing. sanctuary is not hopeful. Therefore, developing alternative means of livelihood for local communities and enhancing livest community and sustainability of the sanctuary. Copyright©2017, Mustefa Sultan and Teyiba Amano. unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
A study on avian species composition, relative abundance, and habitat association at Nansebo fore... more A study on avian species composition, relative abundance, and habitat association at Nansebo forest was carried out from June 2017 -February 2018 during wet and dry seasons. To collect data for the study, the whole habitat of the study area was divided into dominant vegetation types. Accordingly, habitat of the study area was divided into moist Afromontane forest and modified habitat in Nansebo forest. A line transects count aided by binocular was employed to investigate avian species diversity, relative abundance and Habitat association. Therefore 20 transect lines of 1km lengths with a width of 0.25km or less were used to cover 27.75% of the area in Nansebo forest. A total of 105 bird species of which 1 endemic, 8 near endemics, 1 globally threatened and 9 Palearctic migrants were recorded in Nansebo forest. Species richness and abundance varied between the three and two habitats. There was significant difference in species richness among habitats (F1, 18=94.657 P=0.000) in Nansebo forest. In Nansebo forest the highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H' = 4.17) recorded from the modified habitat. It can be concluded that both area has high species diversity including endemics and endangered species. It can also be good potential for bird watching tourism that can integrate economic gain with biodiversity conservation. Hence, urgent conservation measures and further detail research is recommended to conserve the bird species.
The present study was carried out in Arbegona Garemba forest from August June 2017 to February 20... more The present study was carried out in Arbegona Garemba forest from August June 2017 to February 2018 during wet and dry seasons. The study area was stratified based on vegetation composition. Accordingly, Modified habitat, Alpine bamboo forest, and Sub-Afro alpine /Ericaceous belt/ were considered. A line transects count aided by binocular was employed to investigate avian species diversity, relative abundance and Habitat association. Thus10 transect lines of 0.75km lengths with a width of 0.15km or less wereused to cover 30% of the area. A total of 74 bird species consisting of 5 near endemics, 2 globally threatened and 3 Palearctic migrants were recorded.Average vegetation height was a good predictor for total bird abundance and bird species richness during dry season. Altitude accounted more in total species richness and bird species abundance during wet season. Though, slope was a good predictor for bird species abundance during dry season. It can be concluded that the patch of forest and its surrounding is an important bird area for migratory, endemic, and global threatened species. Therefore, it should be conservation priority area; hence, the study suggests that conservation together with ecotourism development is needed for its sustainability.
Ethiopia is rich in biodiversity resources. Birds are one of the components of biodiversity. The ... more Ethiopia is rich in biodiversity resources. Birds are one of the components of biodiversity. The status of birds in the present study areas is very little known. The objective of the study was to assess species composition and relative abundance of birds at geremba mountain fragment in southern Ethiopia. A stratified random sampling technique was employed. Accordingly, to collect data for the study, the whole habitat of the study area was each divided into dominant vegetation types. Consequently, Modified habitat, Alpine bamboo forest, and Sub-Afro alpine /Ericaceous belt were identified in geremba mountain fragment. A line transects count aided by binocular was employed to investigate avian species diversity, relative abundance and habitat association. Thus, 10 transect lines of 0.75km with a width of 0.15km or less was used to cover 30% of the area in geremba mountain fragment. Quantitative Biodiversity indices such as H',E ,γ and α to measure species richness were used to calculate the bird species diversity and two way-ANOVA was used to test for significant variation in species richness and abundance per season among habitats. A total of 74 bird species consisting of 5 near endemics, 2 globally threatened and 3 Palearctic migrants were recorded in geremba mountain fragment. Species richness and abundance varied between the three habitats in geremba mountain fragment. There was significant difference in species richness among habitats in geremba mountain fragment (F2, 11=54.932 P=0.000) at 0.001 significance level. In geremba mountain fragment the highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H' = 3.78) was recorded from the modified habitat while the lowest from the Sub Afro -alpine habitat (H' = 1.84). It can be concluded that the area has high species diversity good potential for bird watching tourism that can integrate economic gain with biodiversity conservation. Hence, urgent conservation measures and further detail research is recommended to conserve the bird species.
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Papers by Mustefa Sultan Dalu