Harenna Forest

Last updated November 27, 2023

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.^[1]

It is one of the few remaining natural forests in the country, and the largest. The Harenna Forest is known for its native plants, mammals, amphibians and birds, including many endemic species.^[2] The montane climate of the southern Bale Mountains sustains plant communities distinct from those of the adjacent lowlands, and from montane forests elsewhere in the Ethiopian Highlands.^[1]

Geography

The Harenna Forest extends across the southern slope of the Bale Mountains. The forest covers portions of Goba, Delo Menna, Harena Buluk, and Meda Welabu woredas (districts) of Bale Zone, and Adaba woreda of West Arsi Zone in Oromia Region.^[3] The highest portion of the mountains, known as the Sanetti Plateau, extends above 4000 meters elevation. The southern edge of the plateau drops in a steep escarpment, descending from 3800 to 2800 meters elevation. Below the escarpment the mountain slopes descend more gradually to the southern plains.^[1]

The forest is in the upper watershed of the Ganale River, and is drained by its tributaries the Welmel, Weyib, and Dumale rivers.

The forests cover an area of 3500 to 7000 km²,^[1] between 39º15' to 40º 15' E Longitude and 6º 0' and 6º 45' N Latitude. The southern portion of Bale Mountains National Park protects part of the forest, which also extends outside the park boundary.^[4]

Climate

The forest has a montane tropical climate. There is a rainy season from March to October, and a dry season from November to March. The slopes between 2300 and 3000 meters elevation are often covered in dense mist, particularly during the wet season.^[1]

Flora

Plant communities in the forest vary with elevation.

Submontane forests occur from 1450 to 1900 meters elevation. Rainfall is from 500 to 600 mm annually, with a distinct dry season. The predominant tree is the conifer Afrocarpus falcatus . Other canopy trees include Cassipourea malosana, Celtis africana , and Croton macrostachyus . Some trees are semi-deciduous, dropping leaves during the dry season. Wild coffee is a common shrub in the forest understory.^[1]

Lower montane forests grow between 1900 and 2300 meters elevation. Middle montane forests occur between 2300 and 2800 meters. Upper montane forests, which include forests dominated by Hagenia abyssinica and extensive stands of the bamboo Yushania alpina , grow from 2800 to 3250 meters elevation.^[1]

Subalpine heathland, dominated by the tree heath Erica arborea , extends from 3250 to 3500 meters elevation, and forms the transition between the forest and the high-elevation alpine moorlands of the Sanetti Plateau.^[1]

The tree Gymnosporia harenensis is endemic to the forest, and is also classified by the IUCN as vulnerable due to the threat of logging.^[5]

Fauna

The Harenna Forest was once habitat to packs of the endangered painted hunting dog, Lycaon pictus. However, the presence of this canid is now in question here due to the population pressures of expanding human presence.^[6] The subalpine heathlands and alpine moorlands of the Sanetti Plateau are home to the largest population of the rare and endangered Ethiopian wolf.

The Bale Mountains vervet (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) is limited to the upper Harenna Forest and other nearby forests. Its diet consists mostly of Yushania alpina bamboo shoots.^[7] The Harenna shrew (Crocidura harenna) is endemic to the forest, and the Bale shrew (Crocidura bottegoides) is found only in the forest and the afroalpine grasslands of the Sanetti Plateau.^[8]

The Harenna Forest is home to Ethiopia's only population of Harvey's duiker (Cephalophus harveyi).^[8]

Conservation

Forest lands in Ethiopia, including the Harenna Forest, are government-owned. Bale Mountains National Park covers the central part of the forest. The portion of the forest outside the national park is managed by Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise (OFWE), a branch of the Oromia Region government. OFWE organized forest management in the region into eight local units, and Harenna Forest has been managed by Bale Forest Enterprise since 2009. Forests are managed in partnership with local communities.^[3]

Historically the forest was thinly populated. Many people have migrated to and settled in Harenna Forest in recent decades. The greatest population growth was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the population of Harena Buluk and Delo Menna woredas doubled. Population growth then slowed in the 2010s. New residents cleared areas of forest for coffee cultivation, pasture, and subsistence farming, mostly in Harena Buluk woreda.^[3] Comparison of Landsat satellite images from 1986 and 2006 found a reduction in forest area, particularly in the high-elevation ericaceous belt, with most of the former forest area converted to grassland and pasture by regular burning. Agricultural land is concentrated at lower elevations, along the forest–savanna transition.^[9]

The Ethiopian government has designated several areas of the forest as national forest priority areas, including Mena-Angetu National Forest Priority Area, which wraps around Bale National Park on the southeast, south, and southwest, and Harena-Kokosa National Forest Priority Area, west of Bale National Park and north of Mena-Angetu.^[3]

Related Research Articles

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.

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The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of Africa are discontinuous, separated from each other by lower-lying areas, and are sometimes referred to as the Afromontane archipelago, as their distribution is analogous to a series of sky islands.

Walmara is a district in the Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is bordered on the south by the Sebeta Hawas, on the west by West Shewa Zone, on the north by Mulo, on the northeast by the Sululta, and on the east by the city of Addis Ababa. Towns in Walmara include Kolobo and Holeta.

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Dinsho is one of the districts in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It was part of former Sinanana Dinsho woreda what was separated for Dinsho and Sinana woredas and Robe Town. Part of the Bale Zone, Sinanana Dinsho was bordered on the south by the Mena River which separated it from Goba, on the west by Adaba, on the northwest by Agarfa, on the northeast by Gaserana Gololcha, on the east by Ginir, and on the southeast by Goro, Oromia. The administrative center of this woreda is Dinsho.

Goba is a woreda in the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is named after the town of Goba. Part of the Bale Zone, Goba is bordered on the south by Mennana Harena Buluk, on the west by Mirab Arsi Zone, on the north by the Mena River which separates it from Sinanana Dinsho, and on the southeast by Berbere.

Delo Menna is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It was part of former Menna Angetu woreda what was separated into Delo Menna and Harena Buluk woredas, and it's part of the Bale Zone. Delo Menna is bordered on the south by Meda Welabu, on the west and northwest by Harena Buluk, on the north by Goba, on the northeast by Berbere, and on the east by Guradamole. The administrative center of this woreda is Menna

Meda Welabu is a woreda in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Meda Welabu is bordered on the south by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from the Guji Zone, on the northwest by West Arsi Zone, on the north by Mennana Harena Buluk, and on the northeast by Guradamole. The administrative center of the woreda is Bidire; other towns in Meda Welabu include Oborso.

Berbere is a woreda in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Berbere is bordered on the south by Mennana Harena Buluk, on the northwest by Goba, on the north by Sinanana Dinsho, on the northeast by Goro, and on the east by Guradamole; the Mena River separates it from Shinanana Dinsho and Goro. The administrative center of the woreda is Haro Dumal.

Seweyna is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the eastern part of the Bale Zone, Seweyna is bordered on the south by Raytu, on the southwest by Ginir, on the northwest by Gaserana Gololcha, on the north by Legehida, and on the east by the Somali Region. Towns in Seweyna include Hada.

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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.

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Harena Buluk is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It was part of former Menna Angetu woreda. It is part of the Bale Zone. Harena Buluk woreda is bordered on the south by Meda Welabu, on the north by Goba, on the west by Nensebo, on the northwest by Adaba, and on the east by [[Delo Menna, Oromia (woreda). The administrative center for the woreda is Angetu.

The Ethiopian montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in eastern Africa. It covers the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands in Ethiopia and extends into neighboring Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somaliland. The ecoregion includes distinctive Afromontane forests, woodlands, grasslands, and shrublands. The ecoregion's biodiversity is threatened by deforestation, conversion to agriculture, and overgrazing.

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.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bussmann, Rainer. (1997). The forest vegetation of Harenna escarpment (Bale Province, Ethiopia) - syntxomomy and phytogeographical affinities. Phytocoenologia. 27. 1-23.
↑ L.J.G. van der Maesen, X.M. van der Burgt and J.M. van Medenbach de Rooy. 1994. The Biodiversity of African Plants: Proceedings, XIVth AETFAT Congress, 22–27 August 1994, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Published by Springer, ISBN 978-0-7923-4095-9. 861 pages.
1 2 3 4 Dereje Tadesse Wakjira, Floris D’Udine, and Alec Crawford (2015) "Migration and Conservation in the Bale Mountains Ecosystem". International Institute for Sustainable Development, August 2015.
↑ Alemu, Misrak & Suryabhagavan, Karuturi & Balakrishnan, M. (2012). Assessment of Cover Change in the Harenna Habitats in Bale Mountains, Ethiopia Using GIS and Remote Sensing. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 38. 39-45.
↑ World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Maytenus harenensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 11 May 2015.
↑ C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived 2010-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Mekonnen, A., Fashing, P.J., Bekele, A. et al. Dietary flexibility of Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) in southern Ethiopia: effects of habitat degradation and life in fragments. BMC Ecol 18, 4 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-018-0161-4
1 2 Lavrenchenko, Leonid. (2000). The mammals of the isolated Harenna Forest (southern Ethiopia): Structure and history of the fauna. Bonner Zoologische Monographien. 46. 223-231.
↑ Alemu, Misrak & Suryabhagavan, Karuturi & Balakrishnan, M.. (2012). Assessment of Cover Change in the Harenna Habitats in Bale Mountains, Ethiopia Using GIS and Remote Sensing. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 38. 39-45.

External links

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[Bussmann-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bussmann, Rainer. (1997). The forest vegetation of Harenna escarpment (Bale Province, Ethiopia) - syntxomomy and phytogeographical affinities. Phytocoenologia. 27. 1-23.

[biodiversity-2] L.J.G. van der Maesen, X.M. van der Burgt and J.M. van Medenbach de Rooy. 1994. The Biodiversity of African Plants: Proceedings, XIVth AETFAT Congress, 22–27 August 1994, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Published by Springer, ISBN 978-0-7923-4095-9. 861 pages.

[IISD-3] 1 2 3 4 Dereje Tadesse Wakjira, Floris D’Udine, and Alec Crawford (2015) "Migration and Conservation in the Bale Mountains Ecosystem". International Institute for Sustainable Development, August 2015.

[4] Alemu, Misrak & Suryabhagavan, Karuturi & Balakrishnan, M. (2012). Assessment of Cover Change in the Harenna Habitats in Bale Mountains, Ethiopia Using GIS and Remote Sensing. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 38. 39-45.

[5] World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Maytenus harenensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 11 May 2015.

[6] C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived 2010-12-09 at the Wayback Machine

[7] Mekonnen, A., Fashing, P.J., Bekele, A. et al. Dietary flexibility of Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) in southern Ethiopia: effects of habitat degradation and life in fragments. BMC Ecol 18, 4 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-018-0161-4

[Lavrenchenko-8] 1 2 Lavrenchenko, Leonid. (2000). The mammals of the isolated Harenna Forest (southern Ethiopia): Structure and history of the fauna. Bonner Zoologische Monographien. 46. 223-231.

[9] Alemu, Misrak & Suryabhagavan, Karuturi & Balakrishnan, M.. (2012). Assessment of Cover Change in the Harenna Habitats in Bale Mountains, Ethiopia Using GIS and Remote Sensing. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 38. 39-45.

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