Wild Animal Genetic Resources of Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s complex terrains with intensive afro-alpine and savannah habitats have had a profound effect on the evolution, composition and distribution of its wild fauna. Such ecological variability has contributed to the proliferation of diverse groups of terrestrial wild fauna, making Ethiopia an important centre of diversity and endemism.

Mammals
Ethiopia is endowed with diverse species of wild mammalian fauna. The diversity is highly magnificent in insectivores, rodents, primates, carnivores, artiodactyls and perissodactyls. So far, a total of 277 species of mammals belonging to 12 Orders and 40 Families have been recorded. Twenty nine of these are endemic species, and are almost exclusively confined to the central plateaux. Five of the endemics, namely: Ethiopian Wolf, Walia Ibex, Mountain Nyala, Gelada Baboon and Starck's Hare are grouped under large mammals while the remaining (83.3%) of the endemic species are small mammals (bats – 2, insectivores – 9, and rodents – 14 species). Out of these, distinctive terrestrial wild mammalian species of the country, the larger ones are of serious concern of conservation action.

Avifauna
Like that of the mammals, diversity of avian species of the country is so rich so that a country harbours about 861 species. This is about 39.14% of the total for the African continent and associated islands. Birds of Ethiopia are grouped into 24 Orders and 87 Families. Of these, 665 species are Residents, 119 Palaearctic Migrants, 47 Intra-African Migrants and 21 species are Passage Palaearctic Migrants. Sixteen species are endemic to Ethiopia, while 13 other species are unique only to Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Reptiles
The country harbours about 201 species of herpetofauna. This includes 87 snakes, 101 lizards, 13 tortoises and turtle species that lie in 4 Orders and 15 Families. Nine of the species are endemic to Ethiopia.

Amphibians
In Ethiopia, diversity and endemism is also very high in amphibian species. A total of 63 species which are grouped in 8 Orders have been recorded so far. Of these, 24 species (38.1% of the total) are listed as endemic. The great majority of these are associated with montane forests, grasslands and moor lands.

Arthropods
Compared to other terrestrial wild fauna, very little is known about diversity and distribution of arthropods of Ethiopia. Recent records indicate that at least 1,225 species are known to exist in Ethiopia. Of these, seven species are endemic.

Wild Animal Potential Areas
Population trend of wild animals in Ethiopia has generally been declining from time to time. Poaching, and habitat loss and fragmentation take the highest share among chronic problems that the wild animals are facing at the moment. The population of certain species in protected areas is found very small to the extent that local extinction has become a common phenomenon and some species could not be located as they are so few or locally extinct. .Currently, about 34 most threatened wild animals (mammals – 21, birds – 12, and reptile – 1) of the country are registered under the IUCN Red List Category.  In order to protect and conserve the wildlife resources of the country, the government of Ethiopia has so far designated over 193,000 km2 surface area of land, 16.5 percent of the total land area of the country. Wildlife conservation areas include 13 national parks (29,627 km2), three wildlife sanctuaries (8,135 km2), eight wildlife reserves (24,810 km2) and 18 controlled hunting areas (131,821 km2). Protected areas were established for attaining various social, economical and ecological values, the central objectives of these areas include: to protect wildlife habitats and areas of ecological significance; to conserve wild animals of the flagship species;  protection of unique sites (objects of aesthetic interest, landscapes, geological features, archeological sites etc); to serve as educational and research center; and to develop eco-tourism and other mode of wildlife utilization on a sustainable basis.

Unprotected potential areas
There are other potential places (represented within all the known ecosystems of the country), which are hot spots for wild animals in particular and biodiversity resources in general and hence are extremely important to deserve protection. Ninety species of mammals, which have never been recorded in any of the principal wildlife conservation areas of the country, are known to occur in these areas. Important species of animals such as bats, rats, hedges and shrews, Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco, Salvadori’s Seedeater, and Yellow Baboon and Somali Warthog are examples of species that known to occur. Some of such sites (73 in number) have already been designated as Important Bird Areas, representing all sorts of habitats, but notably wetlands of different natures, forests, bushes/scrub lands, mountains and grasslands. Though some of the potential forest resources of the country (about 58) have long been identified as National Forest Priotiry Areas (NFPA), they still remain unassessed. However, it is believed that these areas devote for the conservation of a wide diversity of animal species and variation in forests is dependent on maintaining essential functional components of the ecosystem. Ethiopia is also endowed with wetlands of various forms and vast water resources, which are home to a variety of diversity of wild animals.

Responsible for this page: Animal Genetic Resources Department, 2007

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Biodiversity and the New Year in Ethiopia
By Berihun G/Medhin