Arsi Mountains National Park | |
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Location | Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia |
Coordinates | 7°55′53″N39°12′26″E / 7.93139°N 39.20722°E |
Area | 10,876 km2 (4,199 sq mi) |
Established | 2011 |
Governing body | Oromia Forest & Wildlife Enterprise (OFWA) |
Arsi Mountains National Park is a national park in Arsi Zone of Oromia Region in Ethiopia. It protects a portion of the Ethiopian Highlands and includes montane forests, subalpine heath, and alpine grasslands and shrublands. The park was designated in 2011 and covers an area of 10876 km2. [1]
The park encompasses the Arsi Mountains, which are part of the Ethiopian Highlands. The mountains extend northeast to southwest through the park, and form the southern wall of the African Rift Valley. Mountains in the park include Dhara Dilfekar block, Mount Chilalo (with a height of 4036 m), the Galama Ridges, Mount Kaka, and Hunkolo. [2] The volcanic caldera of Mount Chilalo is the highest point in the park.
Mountain rainfall sustains numerous streams and alpine lakes such as Lake Ziway. The northern slopes drain towards the Awash River, while the southern slopes are drained by headwater streams of the Shebelle River.
Bale Mountains National Park lies southeast of the Arsi Mountains. The upper valley of the Shebelle River separates the Arsi Mountains from the Bale Mountains.
There are three main vegetation zones in the park, generally defined by altitude. Dry evergreen Afromontane forests predominate on the lower slopes, from 2843 to 3756 meters elevation. The dry evergreen forests are interspersed with areas of mixed plantations of native and exotic trees between 3181 and 3340 meters elevation. [2]
Subalpine vegetation, mostly heath shrubland dominated by the shrubs Erica arborea and Erica trimera , occurs above the tree line, from 3202 to 3985 meters elevation. [2]
Afro-alpine vegetation occurs at the highest elevations, from 3576 to 4008 meters. It is made up mostly of grasses, herbs, trees, and shrubs, including species of Helichrysum and Alchemilla , interspersed with stands of the giant lobelia Lobelia rhynchopetalum , which is endemic to the Afro-alpine Ethiopian Highlands. [2]
The Arsi Mountains National Park is home to 30 species that are both common and Endemic to its ecoregion. Endemic wildlife in the park includes the endangered mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni), [2] Menelik’s bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus menelik), [3] and Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis). [4] The park is home to several rare and limited-range highland rodents, including the Ethiopian striped mouse (Mus imberbis), Nikolaus's mouse (Megadendromus nikolausi), Blick's grass rat (Arvicanthis blicki), black-clawed brush-furred rat (Lophuromys melanonyx), and Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat (Lophuromys chrysopus). [5] [6]
Other mammals found common in Dhera Dilfekar block and Chilalo-Galama Mountain Range includes Spotted hyenas, Greater Kudus, Lesser Kudus, Egyptian mongooses, White-tailed mongooses, Black-backed jackals, African civets, Abyssinian hares, Bohor reedbucks, Leopards, Servals, Caracals, Grivet monkeys, Grey duikers, Klipspringers, Rock hyraxes, Common warthogs, and Olive baboons.[ citation needed ]
The Arsi Mountains National Park consists of 99 bird species under 39 families that are recorded with the blocks. Birds species that are common here includes Helmeted Guineafowl, Laughing dove, little bee-eater, Black wood hoopoe, Eastern grey woodpecker, Grey-headed sparrow, Shining Sunbird, Rüppell's long-tailed starling, Red-cheeked cordon-bleu, Speckled mousebird, Ring-necked dove, Black kite, and Long-crested eagle.[ citation needed ]
The Arsi Mountains National Park is one of the parks in Oromia where tourist activities like:
Threats to the park include excessive livestock grazing, human-caused fires, and wood collection. [2]
Arsi is a zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, named after a clan of the Oromo, who inhabit in the area.
The Cape bushbuck, also known as imbabala is a common, medium-sized bushland-dwelling, and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa. It is found in a wide range of habitats, such as rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaic, savanna, bushveld, and woodland. It stands around 90 cm (35 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 45 to 80 kg. They are generally solitary, territorial browsers.
The mountain nyala or balbok, is a large antelope found in high altitude woodlands in a small part of central Ethiopia. It is a monotypic species first described by English naturalist Richard Lydekker in 1910. The males are typically 120–135 cm (47–53 in) tall while females stand 90–100 cm (35–39 in) at the shoulder. Males weigh 180–300 kg (400–660 lb) and females weigh 150–200 kg (330–440 lb). The coat is grey to brown, marked with two to five poorly defined white strips extending from the back to the underside, and a row of six to ten white spots. White markings are present on the face, throat and legs as well. Males have a short dark erect crest, about 10 cm (3.9 in) high, running along the middle of the back. Only males possess horns.
The Ethiopian wolf, also called the red jackal, the Simien jackal or Simien fox, is a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands. In southeastern Ethiopia, it is also known as the horse jackal. It is similar to the coyote in size and build, and is distinguished by its long and narrow skull, and its red and white fur. Unlike most large canids, which are widespread, generalist feeders, the Ethiopian wolf is a highly specialised feeder of Afroalpine rodents with very specific habitat requirements. It is one of the world's rarest canids, and Africa's most endangered carnivore.
Simien Mountains National Park is the largest national park in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, its territory covers the highest parts of the Simien Mountains and includes Ras Dashan, the highest point in Ethiopia.
The Bale Mountains are mountain ranges in the Oromia Region of southeast Ethiopia, south of the Awash River, part of the Ethiopian Highlands. They include Tullu Demtu, the second-highest mountain in Ethiopia, and Mount Batu. The Weyib River, a tributary of the Jubba River, rises in these mountains east of Goba. The Bale Mountains National Park covers 2,200 square kilometers of these mountains. The park's main attractions are the wild alpine scenery and the relative ease with which visitors can see unique birds and mammals.
Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) is a national park in Ethiopia. The park encompasses an area of approximately 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) in the Bale Mountains and Sanetti Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands.
Asella is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region 126 km (78 mi) south from Addis Ababa, this town has a latitude and longitude of 7°57′N39°7′E, with an elevation of 2,430 meters. Asella hosts an Asella Airport. Asalla was the capital of Arsi Province until that province was demoted to a Zone of Oromia with the adoption of the 1995 Constitution. It retains some administrative functions as the seat of the present Arsi Zone.
The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m (14,930 ft). It is sometimes called the "Roof of Africa" due to its height and large area. It is the only country in the region with such a high elevated surface. This elevated surface is bisected diagonally by the Great East African Rift System which extends from Syria to Mozambique across the East African Lakes. Most of the Ethiopian Highlands are part of central and northern Ethiopia, and its northernmost portion reaches into Eritrea.
The Babile Elephant Sanctuary is a protected area and wildlife sanctuary in eastern Ethiopia. It is located in Babille district, East Hararghe Zone of Oromia Region, which lies 560 km east of Addis Ababa and 40 km south of Harar.
The tribe Tragelaphini, or the spiral-horned antelopes, are bovines that are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. These include the bushbucks, kudus, and the elands. The scientific name is in reference to the mythical creature the tragelaph, a Chimera with the body of a stag and the head of a goat. They are medium-to-large, tall, long-legged antelopes characterized by their iconic twisted horns and striking pelage coloration patterns.
Kuni-Muktar Mountain Nyala Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It was set up in 1989 through the intervention of the Zoological Society of London to safeguard a small decreasing population of the critically endangered Mountain nyala.
The Harenna Forest is a montane tropical evergreen forest in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. The forest covers the southern slope of the mountains, extending from 1450 to 3200 meters elevation. The Bale Mountains are in Ethiopia's Oromia Region, and form the southwestern portion of the Ethiopian Highlands.
The Sanetti Plateau is a major plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. The plateau is the highest part of the Bale Mountains, and is located within Bale Mountains National Park.
The Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Ethiopia. It occupies the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands, between the high-elevation Ethiopian montane moorlands and lowland woodlands, savannas, shrublands, and thickets.
The Ethiopian montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Ethiopia. It lies above 3,000 meters elevation in the Ethiopian Highlands, the largest Afroalpine region in Africa. The montane moorlands lie above the tree line, and consist of grassland and moorland with abundant herbs and shrubs adapted to the high elevation conditions.
Mount Gugu is a mountain in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of 8°12′N39°58′E, with an elevation of 3623 meters. It forms part of the divide between the drainage basins of the Awash and the Shebelle rivers.
Maze National Park is a national park in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia. It is located 460 km southwest of Addis Ababa and 248 km from Hawassa. It covers 210 square kilometers or 2020 hectare. Maze was founded in 2005, and is managed by the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority.
Geography of Oromia Region, the largest regional state of Ethiopia, is highly diverse. Occupying 353,690 square kilometers, it is bordered by Somalia, to the east, Afar Region to the north, Djibouti to north-east, Kenya, to the south, Amhara Region to the north, Benishangul-Gumuz to the north-west, Sudan to the north-west, Gambela to the west, and South Sudan to the west. The region is situated between 2° and 12°N, 34° and 44°E with varied landscape ranging from rugged mountain ranges in the center and the north, to flat grassland to the south-east.