Wildlife of Ethiopia

The richness and variety of the wildlife of Ethiopia is dictated by the great diversity of terrain with wide variations in climate, soils, natural vegetation and settlement patterns. Ethiopia contains a vast highland complex of mountains and dissected plateaus divided by the Great Rift Valley, which runs generally southwest to northeast and is surrounded by lowlands, steppes, or semi-desert.

The Ethiopian wolf
Lake Chama wildlife

Ethiopia is an ecologically diverse country, ranging from the deserts along the eastern border to the tropical forests in the south to extensive Afromontane in the northern and southwestern parts. Lake Tana in the north is the source of the Blue Nile. It also has many endemic species, including 31 mammal species, notably the gelada, the walia ibex and the Ethiopian wolf ("Simien fox"). There are seven mammal species classified as "critically endangered", and others as "endangered" or "vulnerable".[1] The wide range of altitude has given the country a variety of ecologically distinct areas, and this has helped to encourage the evolution of endemic species in ecological isolation. But some of these habitats are now much reduced or threatened.

The nation is a land of geographical contrasts, ranging from the vast fertile west, with its forests and numerous rivers, to the world's hottest settlement of Dallol in its north. The Ethiopian Highlands are the largest continuous mountain ranges in Africa, and the Sof Omar Caves contains the largest cave on the continent. Ethiopia also has the second-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.[2]

Fauna

Mammals
Main article: List of mammals of Ethiopia
Ethiopian wolf

Birds
Main article: List of birds of Ethiopia

Fish
Main article: List of fish of Ethiopia

About 14 genera of fishes are found. These include primitive bichirs, lung fishes, catfish, cyprinids, cyprinodonts, cichlids, several caracins and a few spiny rayed families. The following fish families are most peculiar of this region:

Butterflies
Main article: List of butterflies of Ethiopia
A Swallowtail butterfly at Lake Tana

Molluscs
Main article: List of non-marine molluscs of Ethiopia

Reptiles

Threatened species

Historically, throughout the African continent, wildlife populations have been rapidly declining owing to logging, civil wars, hunting, pollution, poaching and other human interference.[3] A 17-year-long civil war along with severe drought, negatively impacted Ethiopia's environmental conditions leading to even greater habitat degradation.[4] Habitat destruction is a factor that leads to endangerment. When changes to a habitat occur rapidly, animals do not have time to adjust. Human impact threatens many species, with greater threats expected as a result of climate change-induced by greenhouse gas emissions.[5]

Ethiopia has a large number of species listed as critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable by the IUCN.[6] To assess the current situation in Ethiopia, it is critical to identify the threatened species in this region.

Critically endangered mammals[7] Endangered mammals Vulnerable mammals
African wild dog African elephant Large-eared free-tailed bat Red-fronted gazelle
Black rhinoceros Ethiopian wolf Ammodile Lesser horseshoe bat Rupp's mouse
Guramba shrew Grevy's Zebra Bailey's shrew Lion Scott's mouse-eared bat
Harenna shrew Giraffe Bale shrew Moorland shrew Soemmerring's gazelle
MacMillan's shrew Bushbuck Beira antelope Morris's bat Speke's gazelle
Somali wild ass Mountain nyala Cheetah Mouse-tailed bat species Spotted-necked otter
Tora hartebeest Nubian ibex Dibatag Natal free-tailed bat Ethiopian striped mouse
Swayne's hartebeest Dorcas gazelle Nikolaus's mouse Walia ibex
Glass's shrew Patrizi's trident leaf-nosed bat

There are 31 endemic species of mammals, meaning that a species occurs naturally only in a certain area, in this case Ethiopia.[6] The African wild dog prehistorically had widespread distribution in Ethiopia; however, with last sightings at Fincha, this canid is thought to be potentially extirpated within Ethiopia. The Ethiopian wolf is perhaps the most researched of all the endangered species within Ethiopia. This, however, is likely not the case as a breeding pack has been seen, and photographed by Bale Mountain Lodge guests inside the park's Harenna Forest in 2015.

Several conservation programs are in effect to help endangered species in Ethiopia. A group was created in 1966 called The Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, which focuses on studying and promoting the natural environments of Ethiopia along with spreading the knowledge they acquire, and supporting legislation to protect environmental resources.[8]

There are multiple conservation organizations one can access online, one of which connects directly to the Ethiopian wolf. Funding supports the World Wildlife Fund’s global conservation efforts. The WWF Chairman of the Board, Bruce Babbitt holds this organization accountable for the best practices in accountability, governance and transparency throughout all tiers within the organization.[9]

Flora

There are many types of vegetation, flowers, and plants in Ethiopia. There are many cactus plants that grow in Ethiopian high lands. Ethiopia has many species of flowers that are used for medication and decoration.[10] Many of the plants are used to make honey and oil. Moreover, many of the floras in Ethiopia can be used flavoring or spice. Ethiopia has different climate and geological zones that provide different types floras. There are different alpines and evergreen floras. There are some plants that Ethiopia exports to other countries like coffee and Kat which is significant to their economy.[11]

Notes
  1. (IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals)
  2. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre – World Heritage List". UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
  3. Bakerova, Katarina et al. (1991) Wildlife Parks Animals Africa. Retrieved 24 May 2008, from the African Cultural Center. http://www.africanculturalcenter.org/3_0wildlife.html Archived 2011-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Encyclopedia of Nations. Ethiopia Environment. Retrieved on 24 May 2008, from the Encyclopedia of the Nations website. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Ethiopia-ENVIRONMENT.html
  5. Kurpis, Lauren (2002). How to Help Endangered Species. Retrieved 25 May 2008, from the Endangered Specie website. http://www.endangeredspecie.com/Ways_To_Help.htm Archived 2011-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Massicot, Paul (2005). Animal Info-Ethiopia. Retrieved 24 May 2008, from Animal Info. http://www.animalinfo.org/country/ethiopia.htm
  7. (IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals)
  8. Humber, David (1996). Ethiopia Conservation Projects. Retrieved 24 May 2008, from the African Conservation Foundation. http://www.africanconservation.org/ethiopia1.html
  9. Babbit, Bruce (2008). World Wildlife Organization. Retrieved on 25 May 2008, from the WWF website. http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/index.html
  10. Bekele, Endashaw, “Study on actual situation medicinal plants in Ethiopia”, JAICAF, December, 2007
  11. Harper, Mary”Frenetic pace of Ethiopia's khat boomtown” 28 January 2012,BBC NEWS MAGAZINE, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16756159

References
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