Living Documents DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio

DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio

• A frozen wilderness

• Save the wild Arabica!

• The lonely Ethiopian Wolf

• A situation rapidly getting out of control

• 'It's this thing they call democracy'

Living Documents

More than three-quarters of allAfrican land above 3,000m is to befound in Ethiopia.The BaleMountains lie at the heart of thisunique Afro-alpine landscape.Thehome of wild coffee plants and ofthe endangered Ethiopian Wolf, it isalso an area of ever-increasingsettlements, cultivation and large-scale cattle grazing.Winning thehearts of local people is thechallenge for the Bale Mountainsconservation project.

‘Land is Given by God’Conserving the Roof of Africa

Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

EthiopiaDef 20-11-2000 11:29 Pagina 1

suffers from inadequate and demoralised staff, butalso the continued lack of road and buildingsmaintenance. As yet, the Park has not even beengazetted.

‘What we actually do is crisis management’,admits Hundessa without hesitation. ‘That’s really allwe can do for the moment. The lack of fundingmeans there is no way we can work towards astructural build-up of capacity in parks like BaleMountains. Without external assistance we can’tproduce conservation goals effectively.’

The main problem facing the fragile ecosystem inthe Bale Mountains is the heavy settlement withinthe Park borders. The activities of the Park’s 7,000strong population include cultivation, livestockrearing and tree cutting. That’s why outsiders havesometimes expressed the view human settlement andexploitation should be totally prohibited in parks likethe Bale Mountains NP. From a purely ecologicalpoint of view they’re probably right. But it’s not theapproach that will work in Ethiopia. Hundessa canonly shrug his shoulders.

‘People have always been in the parks. Themilitary Dergue-regime did in fact try to chase themout, but the main result was increasing the people’shostility towards the government and theconservation cause.’ During the changeover from themilitary regime to a civilian government, this attituderesulted in the destruction of Park buildings and asharp increase in wildlife killing.

‘We have to accept that people are there’, saysHundessa. ‘Of course conservation of the lastremaining forests in Ethiopia is of great importance.They should be managed properly to ensure that theirunique biodiversity is not lost. But the only suitableway to move forward here is to work with the peopleliving in and around the protected areas and toaddress their problems. Projects supporting specificprotected areas in this country cannot succeed unlessthey find a balance between human activities and themaintenance of natural ecosystems. The presentDGIS-WWF ‘Forest Conservation in High PriorityAreas’ Ethiopia Project, which encompasses the BaleMountains NP and the Mena-Angetu National ForestPriority Area tries to do so and therefore we whole-heartedly support it, as long as it holds this realisticapproach.’▲

In the eyes of Hundessa, who is the GeneralManager of the Federal Ethiopian Wildlife

Conservation Organisation (EWCO), the whole ideaof recreating a kind of pristine situation is nothingmore than the fantasy of Europeans and NorthAmericans. ‘Those people hope to establish herewhat they’ve destroyed themselves at home. But it’scompletely unrealistic to try to create islands ofconservation areas in a poor developing country likeEthiopia.’

Over twenty years of experience with natureconservation in Ethiopia has made Hundessa apragmatic man. ‘Conservation is not a priority in

Ethiopia and it will not become so in the near future.The actual situation is that there are eight millionpeople in this country who need food aid. That’s thepriority. Over ninety per cent of the population live atthe subsistence level. Poverty and backwardness arethe issues.’

The inevitable result of this - fully justified -priority-setting is that Ethiopia’s protected areasare in bad shape. The Bale Mountains NationalPark for instance - the second-largest of Ethiopia’snational parks and one of Africa’s most importantcentres of biodiversity and endemism - not only

• 2 •‘LAND IS GIVEN BY GOD’ BALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, ETHIOPIA

LIVING DOCUMENTS DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio

‘What we actually do iscrisis management’

Asked whether Ethiopia’s protected areas will everbecome exclusion zones, where only tourists and scientists

can go, Tesfaye Hundessa’s answer is resolutely negative: ‘Forget it.’


arrival of five extended families consisting of somehundred people. Now approximately 700 people areliving here. ‘The growth has been autonomous,’ insistsKhamal, ‘we’ve only brought some women fromelsewhere, because there were not enough of them.’

While serving tea and fresh honey on saucers, heprudently enquires about the reason for our visit. Hasit to do with plans to enhance the status of the Parkand consequently push the people of Rira out of theirhomes? The explanation of Fetene Hailu about thepresent situation and plans of the project, as well asthe promise that he and his fellow-elders will beconsulted, seems to satisfy him for the time-being.More honey is served. Bee keeping is a commonform of subsistence in the forested parts of the Park.‘There may be little direct impact on the forest,’Fetene Hailu softly explains to me during our chatwith the Rira residents, ‘but occasional fires havebeen reported when the hives are being smoked forhoney collection. Also, the numerous paths leadingto the hives may inhibit wildlife.’

After an hour or so we end our visit and continueour trip to the lower parts of the Harenna forest andthe town of Delo-Mena. Our new friends in Rirawave us goodbye, relieved that there is no danger ofimmediate removal, but still uncertain about theirlong-term fate. At that moment none of us knows thatlater that same day we will return with feelings ofconsiderable relief that this protected area is nottotally uninhabited.

A thin layer of night frostWe had begun our day’s journey at sunrise, setting

Approaching the settlement while descendingfrom the Plateau, the signs of human activity are

obvious. The numerous brown spots in the landscapemark where large herds have grazed, while the manyyellow-coloured fields show how much of the foresthas already been cleared for agricultural use. Mytravelling companions can see a clear difference inthe present scene from that of just one or two yearsago. ‘These activities are gradually occupying moreand more of the forest,’ says Fetene Hailu of theEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Organisation.‘More and more residents are looking for a piece ofland, while the lack of resources means people arenot capable of maintaining soil fertility. So theclearing of forest land is steadily expanding.’

Rira itself is not much of a village. There’s onepub-cum-restaurant and a bus stop. Some hundredhouses are scattered along the hillside. People greetus in a friendly way but maintain an air of reserve. Wemeet Haji Khamal, one of the elders of Rira. ‘Yes, ofcourse we know this is a protected area and that weare not supposed to live here. But there’s no otherplace we can go,’he says.

Haji Khamal tells us about the history of Rira,which was first settled some fifteen years ago with the


Late in the morning we enter the village of Rira, one of thelarger settlements in the Bale Mountains National Park.

After the chilly atmosphere at the Sanetti Plateau, thetemperature in Rira - located at some 2,500m in the

Harenna forest sector of the Park - is much moreagreeable. This is starting to look like Africa again.

The beauty of the Bale Mountains

A frozen wilderness


the home of the threatened Ethiopian Wolf, whichfeeds on the numerous rodents, mainly the alsoendemic Giant Molerat. We spot several lone wolves,hunting for their daily meal. In the evening theanimals regroup in packs to spend the night together.

At the summit of the Tulu Dimtu (meaning ‘redmountain’ in Oromigna) is a short wave radio station.Four men guard the installation against robbery,‘mainly bandits from neighbouring Somalia,’ as oneof them explains. At present the men live nearby in anunnamed settlement where they have temporaryhomes and members of their family guard cattle andgoats. Actually they are from Rira, where they stillhave their farms. But at this time of the year theydrive their herds to this part of the Park, where thevegetation is greener and more water is available.When asked, they deny that grazing has a negativeimpact on the Park. ‘This area is so large, naturealways recovers from the grazing.’ In the few existingstudies of the Sanetti plateau it is asserted that grazingcattle and goats has a disastrous impact on the fragileAfro-alpine vegetation, but research which would

out from the Dinsho lodge, which is also theheadquarters of the Bale Mountains NP. Dinsho issituated on the Gaysay Plain, at the most northernpart of the Park at some 2,500m altitude. At that earlyhour it was still freezing and everything in theimmediate surroundings of the lodge was coveredwith a thin layer of night frost. Only the abundantflora and the signs pointing to the wildlife trails madeus aware that this was indeed tropical Africa, and notsome place in the Alps or similar mountain regionwith a temperate climate.

The cold lingered in the air throughout themorning as we gradually followed the main roadrunning through the Park up to the Sanetti Plateau,which ranges from 4,000m to the peak of Tulu Dimtuat 4,377m. This is the second highest point inEthiopia and one of the highest peaks in Africa. Asavage wind howling over the empty plain, made usreluctant to leave the car for more than a fewminutes. Now and then a truck passed us by, withgroups of passengers shivering in the open back,their faces and bodies covered with blankets. Thisroad, leading from the larger settlements of Dinsho,Robe and Goba - which lie just outside the Park -through the Plateau and the adjacent forest, is a majorroute for pastoralists practising trans-humance ortaking livestock to the market.

Notwithstanding the temperature, it’s hard to missthe beauty of this unique area. The plateau supportsthe richest Afro-alpine vegetation in existence. Thedwarf-montane heath landscape is dotted with whitecushions of everlasting helichrysum and giantlobelias, which blossom for a year and then die.There are numerous lakes, which support largecolonies of waders, ducks and cranes. The area isdeeply dissected with sheer-sided gorges. This is also



10-year old

Abderraham

Hussein

herding

grazing cattle

inside the

Park, near

Tulu Dimtu

mountain


imagine,’ he says. ‘They live in the highlands, drinkfresh milk and have meat everyday. They reach ageswhich you will not find in any other place inEthiopia.’

The danger of fragmentationBack in the car, Fetene Hailu of the EthiopianWildlife Conservation Organisation, gives a shortlecture on the population pressures on the BaleMountains NP. The biggest problem is, of course,posed by the 7,000 or more people living within thePark. In addition to this group there is a threat fromthose living outside the Park boundaries who use it

substantiate this assertion has yet to be conducted. A few kilometres further on we meet 10-year old

Abderraham Hussein who is guarding a herd of 25cows and 214 sheep. Adderraham tells us that he haslived all his life here on the Sanetti Plateau, togetherwith his family of father, three wives and sevenbrothers and sisters. The family also owns a farm inRira. Later, in the car, we talk about the life thesepeople live, spending most of the year alone in thisinhospitable climate, without any amenities such asschools, medical care or places for amusement.However, our guide Abbay Taddesse envies them:‘These people live the healthiest life you can



The Bale Mountains massif rises to4,377 meters from a 2,500m highplain in the north, and from analtitude of approximately 1,600m tothe south and east. It includes someof the highest peaks in Africa.Themassif has an extensive plateausupporting Afro-alpine vegetation,the largest in existence.This Sanettiplateau ranges from 4,000 to4,100m, has numerous lakes, whichare important for waders, ducks andcranes, and is deeply dissected bysheer-sided gorges.The slopes are typically covered inclosed forest, varying incomposition.The northern slopeshave a single annual wet seasonwhile the south has two. Juniper,Podocarpus and Hagenia dominatethe northern and north-westernslopes, with numerous endemicspecies.The southern and easternslopes are highly variable and formthe most extensive intact continuumof altitudinal variation in forest inEthiopia. Few comparable tractsexist elsewhere in Africa.The higher altitudes are dominatedby dwarf montane heath, giving wayto arborescent, ericoid and Hageniadominated forests. Steeper slopesare cloaked in dense bamboo. Atmiddle altitudes, Celtis and Cordiabecome common giving rise to a25m high canopy. On the lowerslopes (1,800m and below), thecanopy rises to 30m with taller

emergent, andPodocarpus as themost common tree.These lowerelevations of thePark, together withthe Mena-AngetuNFPA, are importantfor wild Arabicacoffee, which isabundant.The forestalso variesstructurally and interm of flora fromeast to west,following a rainfallgradient, and thehighest levels ofendemism occur inthe west. Recentsurveys conductedby the EthiopianNational Herbarium place the Baleforest among the most diverse andrich in endemism within the country.For convenience, the forestcontinuum running as a band fromthe north-west across the southernslopes to the eastern flanks is calledhere the Harenna Forest, although inreality different sectors have specificnames (see Map).This forest is thesecond largest natural forest block inEthiopia and its extent and highdiversity mean that it is among thehighest priority conservation areas inthe country.The Bale Massif is also important for

animal species. Of the 64 knownmammal species, 11 are endemic.These include the threatenedEthiopian Wolf and the MountainNyala. Other notable species are thegiant forest hog, lion and Africanhunting dog (the latter two areunusual in being forest residents).Some 220 bird species have beenrecorded and 16 are endemic.Themassif is important as a breedingsite for wattled cranes and theendemic spot-breasted plover, andhas golden eagle and chough,species generally restricted to muchcolder, northern regions.

Bale Mountains - physical and biological wealth


expand the areas available for grazing. Those living in the forest sector, harvest wood and

bamboo, either for their immediate needs or as a cashcrop to supplement income. Most of the timber issold for firewood at the side of the Goba-Delo-Menaroad, and is consumed in Goba and Robe to the north.

Much of the forest within the Park is notpermanently settled. The real danger is, that unlessthe uncontrolled growth is brought to a halt, theforest will eventually fragment and disappear asmore people establish themselves there.

Population pressure outside the Park is greatestalong the northern boundaries where towns such asDinsho, Robe and Goba continue to expand. Whilethere are limited controls on the use of the Park bypeople in this area, demand for basic commoditiessuch as firewood and pasture mean that pressure onthe natural ecosystems can be expected to increase.

The forest areas to the west, south and east of thePark are more lightly populated, and some tractshave no permanent settlements. However, the higherrainfall and the ‘free’ land of the forests are attractingpeople from the surrounding areas and, in somecases, from a considerable distance.

A lonely forester The city of Delo-Mena is located some 20 kmoutside the Park, in the middle of the extensivesouthern parts of the Harenna forest. We meet AlemuLema, head of the Mena Angetu Woreda AgriculturalDepartment, which has also the responsibility for theMena-Angetu NFPA. He is alone in his small office,

regularly for access to wood and pasture. Further,there are an unknown number of seasonal nomadicherders who bring their cattle, sheep and goats tograze or to visit the mineral springs (horas).

The Park’s resident population have grownsubstantially since the estimated 2,500 people of themid-1980s. Local people and the staff of the BaleMountains NP claim that it has grown most rapidlyover the past five years, but may now be stabilising.The main concentrations are in the Weyb Valley (inthe north-west, near Dinsho) and at three other sites -Rira, Hawwo and Malgnata - all within the HarennaForest sector. Family units are also scatteredelsewhere in the Harenna, together with the smallsettlement on the Afro-alpine Sanetti Plateau whichwas home to the people we had just met.

Pressure on the Park from these people varies inrelation to the size and distribution of settlements andthe type of prevailing habitat. In the Weyb Valley,forest has been cleared for cultivation of cereals, andhigh altitude vegetation is under severe grazingpressure. On the Sanetti, cattle and goats graze theAfro-alpine vegetation but its true impact - as wehave seen - is difficult to assess.

Parts of the Harenna forest within the Park havebeen cleared for agriculture, particularly around thelarger settlements. The amount of forest beingcleared to meet local needs is expanding steadily.Cattle, sheep and goats also contribute to forestdegradation by browsing the regenerating lowercanopy strata. In addition, the forest people burncleared land and the high altitude heather heath to



Only an international emergency programme can savethe surviving remnants of the wild Arabica coffee plantsgrowing in the highland rainforests of south-westEthiopia.This was the unambiguous message thatEthiopian ecologist Tadesse Gole took to an internationalconference on Plant Genetic Diversity in the 21stCentury, held in June 2000 in Kuala Lumpur. Gole, whowas quoted in New Scientist magazine, addeddramatically, 'we gave the world coffee, now we hope theinternational community will collaborate with us to saveits genetic base.' Some 90 per cent of the coffee we drink world wide isArabica, making it the most valuable internationalcommodity apart from oil. Most of it is grown onplantations outside Ethiopia from a handful of cultivatedvarieties created from a few individual bushes.But these plantations are at risk from disease, such asthe coffee rust that hit Brazil in the 1970s. And whendisaster strikes, plant breeders turn for genetic help to

Ethiopia, home of the largest coffee gene bank atJimma and the even greater genetic reserves scatteredthrough the forests, where Arabica bushes make upmuch of the undergrowth.But these highland bushes have lost more than half oftheir trees in the past thirty years, and today they coverless than 2,000 square kilometres, says Gole.They arebeing exploited for timber, and razed to make way for teaplantations and to allow for mass resettlement of peoplefrom the northern districts of Ethiopia, such as Wollo,that were devastated by drought in the 1980s.'These forest fragments possess enormous geneticvariability of Arabica coffee.They are the best availablesource of germ plasm for the crop's improvement andpest control', Gole says. Despite the seed banks andplantations, 'as yet we know very little about the biologyof wild coffee,' the scientist, who is currently at theUniversity of Bonn in Germany, adds. Local farmers whocultivate about one hundred traditional varieties in theirown gardens may know more about wild coffee thananyone else, he says.

Save the wild Arabica!


Long-distance runnersOn our way back from the town of Delo-Mena, thecar breaks down. Gear box problems make itimpossible to go any further. After several hours oftrying to push-start the car, we decide to leave it thereand start walking. Not a single car or truck has passedus in the meantime. The transportation of peoplethrough the Park mainly takes place in the earlymorning. The only settlement in the neighbourhoodis Rira, the place we had visited early in the morning,supposedly some 10-12 kilometres away.

What follows is a lesson in exertion at high-altitude. This is the area where some of the world’smost famous long-distance runners originate, butwhen you’re not born here it’s something different.While the sun is burning on our heads, we slowlywalk the road which is climbing up to the SanettiPlateau. The breaks needed to restore our normalbreathing pattern become longer and longer. In thetrees, groups of curious Black and White Colobusmonkeys follow our progress. In the meantime, ourguide Abbay Taddesse regales us with inspiringstories about other animals living in this area,especially lions. Within an hour all the availabledrinking water has been used, and it’s only two hoursfurther down the trail that we find a crystal clearbrook. Eventually we arrive in Rira, just beforedarkness falls.

Our welcome is heart-warming. Within minutesthere’s tea and honey again. Meals are prepared andbeds spread out on the floor of the pub. Two men onhorses are sent to guard the car during the night. Thenext morning, we pass the Sanetti Plateau again, thistime in the manner of local travellers: huddled up onthe back of a large truck, covered with blankets andshawls to keep out the cold. Just before arriving inthe city of Goba, a cloud of dust and approaching carhorn signals the return of our car, which had beenfixed by a passing truck driver. ▲

his only colleague - the local forest officer - isattending a course elsewhere. Together they areresponsible for an area of more than 190,000 ha. Hesmiles resignedly in response to our questionwhether there is enough manpower in his office to dothe job. ‘Of course not. We have no people, no funds,no vehicles. So although this is a classified forestarea, the only thing we can do is educate people andraise awareness about the fragility of the forestecosystem.’

Delo-Mena lies at the heart of the world’s majorgenetic reservoir of wild Arabica coffee. On ourway to the city, we’ve already seen the manyclearances in the forest and the rows of coffeeplants in the fields. ‘Because prices are high, theinterest in cultivating coffee is rapidly growing,’says Alemu Lema. ‘Consequently, many peoplecome to the forest, encouraged by traders, to find apiece of land for themselves. In areas where coffeeis abundant, settlement is eventually encouraged, asit becomes economically viable to live in theimmediate area rather than walking from distantvillages.’

The coffee-production in the forest is consideredone of the principal pressures on the southern andlower elevation of the Bale Mountains NP and theMena-Angetu NFPA portions of the Harenna Forest..‘The most common practice,’ says Alemu Lema, ‘isthat people look for a piece of land where coffeeplants are abundant, and then clear the undergrowthto make space. The other practice is that they totallyclear a piece of land and plant the coffee plantsthey’ve collected somewhere else. Both waysdestroy the natural regeneration of the area. Most ofthe times it is accompanied by a selective clearing oflarger trees. The forest is thus progressively degradedand eventually becomes fragmented. Some forestwildlife may be inhibited by the regular presence ofpeople and by changes in the habitat.’


Land clearing

for coffee

production in

the Harenna

Forest




When asked if he knows that large amounts of cattle andgoats can destroy the fragile Afro-Alpine vegetation ofthe Sanetti Plateau, Najib Kadir flatly denies it. 'I neverheard that story'. Remarkably though, this middle-agedherdsman who lives in a settlement on the border of theBale Mountains National Park near the city of Goba, isquite aware of the difficult position of one specificspecies within the highlands ecosystem, that of theendemic Ethiopian Wolf.'One day these foreign people came to us and told usabout the wolves', he remembers. 'They told us that thewolves have almost disappeared and that they wanted tostop that. So they asked us to castrate our dogs to stopthem from breeding with the wolves.We considered thisrequest and decided we could do that. And we also stickto no more than one dog per family.'It is confirmed by others too: the wolf protectionprogramme in the Bale Mountains did a good job so far inraising awareness with the local population and actuallyprotecting the threatened specie.The efforts of IUCN/WWF as wellas of Born Free, an internationalNGO which promotes theconservation of wildlife, seem tohave helped bring about a revival ofthe Bale Wolf population.The Sanetti plateau is thestronghold of the endangeredEthiopian Wolf. Experts considerthe presence of domestic dogs tobe one of the main dangers tothese animals.The dogs - whichguard the cattle and goats grazingin the area - may interbreed withthe wolves and introduce diseaseswhich the wolf cannot resist. Anadditional problem is that herders arereported to occasionally kill wolves to protect newly bornsheep and the like.While noting the successes of the protectionprogramme, it is far too early to celebrate victory.Withless than 700 individuals, the Ethiopian Wolf is still on theverge of extinction and therefore listed as Endangeredby IUCN (meaning that their survival is unlikely if thecause of its decline continues). In the northern part oftheir range, Ethiopian wolves probably will not survive,so the last viable - but fragile - Ethiopian Wolf populationof 200-300 in Bale Mountains NP needs to be monitoredclosely.The bright red Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) lives inpacks of up to 13 animals in the Ethiopian highlands.

Eating exclusively Afro-alpine rodents, the wolf is a keypredator in the food chain and may regulate rodentpopulations. Besides the threats from herdsmen andtheir dogs, the loss of habitats - mainly due to thesettlements of people looking for a piece of land in thePark - is the other main danger.Conservationist have decided that efforts shouldtherefore be directed in two directions: starting globalcaptive breeding programmes as well as establishingconservation areas, such as the Bale MountainsNational Park and Simien Mountains National Park.WWF and IUCN are both carrying out research intocanids and the threats they face. Both organisationsbelieve that if wolves are to survive in the wild, mostpopulations will require legally enforced protectionmeasures. It is also necessary to protect and conservetheir natural habitat, and to devise ways in which peopleand canids can live in close proximity. And finally, it isessential to increase the public's awareness of theseanimals, where they live, and the problems confrontingthem.

On its website, early 2000 Born Free commented onthe situation of wolves and men in the Bale region: 'Thepresent drought has not affected the wolves whatsoever.We have had more and larger wolves litters this yearthan in the last five, and the Bale wolf population isrebuilding its numbers. People in the Weyb Valley and inDinsho have got enough food for the time being,although they have lost a substantial number of theirlivestock, which is hitting their economy quite hard.Paradoxically, these losses may actually benefit wildlifein Bale and elsewhere in Ethiopia, since a reduction inlivestock numbers reduces overgrazing and allowsnatural habitats to recover somewhat.' Until the livestockpopulations build up again....

The lonely Ethiopian Wolf


into the fields, we come to a place where severalfarmers are busy collecting the first barley harvest ofthe year. Horses are threshing the cereal by walkingin circles, spurred on by a few young boys. Theatmosphere is friendly. While the work goes on,jokes are told and during the conversation we areinvited to lend a hand. One of the farmers, NajibKadir tells us about their settlement, HangessoAdewee, which lies nearby. According to hisestimate, it consists of some hundred heads offamily.

‘All this was dense forest twenty years ago,’ ourguide Abbay Taddesse comments. Looking aroundwe see that, whereas in other areas clearance forsettlement is patchy, here it is complete. This iscleared land. As far as one can see the hillsides aredenuded, except for some isolated trees. Grain fields,grazing cattle and scattered houses, dominate thescene. Nature has been driven back and supplantedby cultivated land. ‘We were forced to move here,’explains Najib Kadir, ‘because on the other side ofthe hills, where we used to live, we had seriousgrazing problems. There was no land available forour cattle.’ Here they found the land they needed, butran into problems with occasional droughts as well asfloods. Najib Kadir thinks he knows the root causesof these problems. ‘We know that deforestationcauses rain problems. We’ve experienced this. Butwhat can we do?’

They come, young and old, the women incolourful clothes, groups of children in their blue

school uniforms. Some carry bags of potatoes orbeans to sell on the market, others drive herds ofbleating goats, or carry chickens strung together ontheir backs. However, the vast majority of thesemarket traders clearly have only one commodity forsale: wood. Ranging from small packets of firewoodto large trunks for construction (bamboo trunks arealso popular). Most of it is carried or dragged alongby horses and donkeys. The amount of this preciousforest resource being carried to the market isstunning. All the more so considering the scene is re-enacted at each of the twice-weekly markets heldhere throughout the year. Standing on this dirt roadon the outskirts of the city, the necessity of findingmore sustainable ways to exploit the Bale MountainsNP is all too obvious.

Later that morning we drive up through the hillsinto the Park. Descending the road and taking a walk


‘‘GGiivvee uuss llaanndd’’

AA ssiittuuaattiioonn rraappiiddllyyggeettttiinngg oouutt ooff ccoonnttrrooll

It’s Wednesday morning, 9 am, a dusty road some fivekilometres from the city of Goba, near the Bale MountainsNational Park. It’s market-day. A steady stream of people

are descending from the hills that lie within the Park ontheir way to the region’s commercial centre, Goba’s

market.


identifies the high level of deforestation by localpeople, and the consequent soil erosion as the biggestproblem. This office tries to tackle these problems bypromoting a more sustainable use of the naturalresources in the area. One way to do this is byconvincing newcomers not to settle in the vulnerableareas. However, figures about the present inflow arenot available. ‘It’s hard to stop people from settlingor from exploiting the area,’ says Hassen. ‘Peoplehave to supplement their income with forest productsbecause agriculture is too poor. Development isneeded, otherwise deforestation can’t be stopped.’

The proximity of the Park and the surroundingHarenna forest to urban concentrations like Goba,Robe and Dinsho in the north, and Delo-Mena andAngetu in the south, inevitably means that the forestcomes under considerable pressure. Firewood andtimber for construction are the main products taken

High level of deforestationBack in Goba we pass the huge market which sellsvirtually everything which can be bought in Ethiopia.Because of the volume of trade, firewood and timberare sold on a separate market held on another site. Atthe nearby Bale Zone Agricultural Department, thelocal representative of the Oromiya Bureau ofAgriculture - we meet agricultural officer AbdulkadirHassen. His natural resources management relatedstaff comprises two foresters and one environmentalofficer. Together, they are responsible for seventeenworeda’s, (community groupings), containingapproximately 174,000 families. The office walleven displays sheets detailing the amount oflivestock in the area: 2.1 million cows, 328,000 goatsand 500,000 sheep.

When asked about the main environmentalproblems in the Goba area, Hassen immediately


Forest coverage in Ethiopia isreduced to an estimated 3 per centof the country's surface area.Theaverage annual deforestation in theperiod from 1990 to 1995 was 0.5per cent. Most of the remainingforests are included in the NationalForest Priority Areas (NFPAs).Thereare 57 NFPA's, covering, on paper,4.8 million ha.The forest priorityareas are under the managementauthority of the Regional

Governments.They are generallyunder-resourced and, as a result,many of the forests are beingsteadily degraded, encroached orfragmented and/or completely goneby clearing and unsustainableexploitation.Protected areas in Ethiopiacomprise approximately 2.1 per centof the land surface. Severalcategories exist, which are generallyre-grouped into two.The principal

protected areas comprise 9National Parks and 3 Sanctuaries.Only 2 of these, however, aregazetted: Awash NP and SemienMountains NP.The secondaryprotected areas include 8 WildlifeReserves and 18 Controlled HuntingAreas. Almost all of the protected arefacing considerable threat fromsettlement and uncontrolled naturalresource use, leading to the inabilityto fulfil the original conservationfunction.

Ethiopia's protected areas

WW

F-C

AN

ON

/JO

HN

E.N

EW

BY


activity because it has never given any advantage tothe local communities,’ he told us. ‘Also it teachesthe people to cut trees. Paths are being introduced,the forest really is laid out for exploitation. De-activating the factory would really help discouragepeople from going into the forest.’

Aldulkadir Hassen doesn’t agree: ‘We have noevidence at all that the introduction of roads andpaths by loggers may have induced local people toexploit the forest. We have seen though in recentyears in one of the woreda’s, where loggers neverhave been yet, that people cleared and burned theforest at an alarming rate.’ Besides, Hassenemphasises, the introduction of a certain amount ofroads and paths is stimulated by his office, because itgives easier access to monitor the forest, and toimplement development activities. Hassen: ‘Theimportance of forest roads has been confirmed lastyear when there was a large fire in the forest. It wasmuch easier to combat the fire in those areas whichhad accessible roads.’

Give us landDivided on the impact of logging, the twoagricultural officials do, however, agree about themain obstacles confronting them. In Delo-Mena,Alemu Lema told us, ‘we are unable to answer themain demand from the local people, namely: give usland. Government policy in this respect is not veryclear, so we are stranded. We are unable to giveanswers. If trained educators were available, wecould teach the people more sustainable ways tocarry out agriculture, which would relieve thepressure for new land. But we do not have thatcapacity.’ His colleague Abdulkadir Hassen in Gobaagrees about the ‘the existence of uneven landholdings among peasants and the need ofredistribution.’

In the meantime, both officers try to stop furtherexploitation by talking to local authorities in order topersuade them to give small pieces of land near thevillages to newcomers, hoping to stop them fromfurther penetrating the area.

In principle the local offices are fully qualified toimplement sound agricultural policies in theirterritories. They are hampered, however, not only bythe fact that they are under-staffed and under-resourced, but also by a lack of policy directivesfrom the regional authorities. Although all forestsaround the Park are assigned as National ForestPriority Area (NFPA) - as most of the remainingforests in Ethiopia have been - no specific forestpolicy has yet been approved. Only when such apolicy has been approved will gazetting of the areasbe possible. The main reason for the delay isundoubtedly the process of decentralisation and the

from the forest, but in addition, trade in honey andcoffee encourages settlement of the forests andproduction of commodities.

The settling in the forest and clearing of land foragricultural use - especially expanding and startingnew coffee plantations, as coffee is rapidly becomingthe main cash crop in the area - is without any doubtthe main reason for the ongoing deforestation.Commercial logging in the area is not considered tobe a major problem by the Bale Zone office. There isa government-owned sawmill in the Mena-Angetupart of the Harenna forest, which started operationsin the early 1980s. The working capacity of the sowmill has been reduced highly when compared to theperiod of the previous regime. Only over aged, driedout and fallen trees are allowed to be utilised understrict supervision, emphasises Abdulkadir Hassen.‘This improves the quality forest, reduces thechances for forest fires and the spread of diseases.Besides, it makes forest exploitation rational.’Theincome generated from the timber sale is used forforest development and protection. Localcommunities have not directly benefited from thecommercial logging, Hassen agrees. ‘We aim tocreate new mechanisms which could change thissituation in the future.’

His colleague Alemu Lema, Department head ofthe Mena Angetu Woreda Agricultural office, whomwe had met some days earlier, was more outspokenon the logging activities. ‘We don’t appreciate this



The Bale Mountains Natinal Park and surrounding NFPAs


The situation in the Bale region is getting out ofhand, believes Bekele. ‘Settlements appear to besteadily increasing as local people grow ever moreconfidant that they will not be prevented fromentering the NFPA. Others move in from moredistant areas lured by the promise of the largelyuncultivated forest soil. People displaced from landnow occupied by state farms used to be reluctant tochallenge the authorities and invade the NFPAs.However, this inhibition is rapidly changing.’ Herethe lack of a coherent forest policy is painfully felt.Because the land- and resource user rights pertainingto NFPAs have not been fully legislated, localofficers are unable to tell people about the do’s anddon’ts regarding the forest. In some cases, thisproblem is said to have been exacerbated by localpolitical authorities encouraging settlers to move intothe NFPAs.

The decentralisation process is causing majorproblems, agrees Tesfaye Hundessa, GeneralManager of the Ethiopian Wildlife ConservationOrganisation, which is located in the same officebuilding as the DGIS-WWF project ‘Legally we’re

transfer of authority for NFPAs and National Parksfrom the federal to the regional level.

A lack of everythingThe problems facing the Bale Mountains NationalPark are not so different from those in the surroundingforest areas. They are all rooted in the lack of funds,transport and other resources necessary to cover sucha large area. Further, the Park has yet to be gazettedand the laws which would enable proper managementhave still to be enacted. Consequently it is difficult forthe Park staff to control settlement, grazing and otherforms of incursion. Insofar as patrolling is possible, itis largely centred on the northern part of the Park.Scouts visit the Weyb Valley, the Gaysay Plain andthe northern parts of the Sanetti on horseback.However, the vast majority of the Sanetti Plateau andthe entire Harenna forest section are patrolled onlyirregularly. Within the forest sector only the areasalong the roadside are visited. Vehicles are notavailable and if they were petrol shortages wouldrender them useless.

A lack of outposts and facilities is a major part ofthe problem. Only two posts are currently functional- the headquarters in Dinsho and a second outpost onthe Gaysay Plain. An additional outpost has recentlybeen funded by the WWF to monitor access andreceive visitor fees on the main access road fromGoba to Delo-Mena, at the Park’s north-eastern limit.‘By building a sub-headquarters in the centre of theHarenna forest at Katcha, and some smaller outpostsin the other forest areas and on the Sanetti Plateau,we would be much better able to controldevelopments in the Park as well as the surroundingforest,’ says Fetene Hailu. ‘However, it would also bevital to ensure that these posts are given adequatepersonnel, transport, radio communication andequipment. That’s a pre-condition.’

Open checkpointsOn our way back to Addis Ababa we pass the site ofthe former outpost on the Gaysay Plain. The onlyreminder of its existence is a small roadblock, with abarrier pole pointing to the sky. No one is there. ‘Thatused to be a very important checkpoint which peoplewouldn’t dare to pass carrying anything illegal,’ saysproject leader Dr. Ermias Bekele, back in his office inAddis. ‘But now that our resources have been cutback, the checkpoints are open and there is no longerany control. Wild animal meat, charcoal, everythingcan pass. Fortunately the havoc has forced theregional authorities of Oromya to try and improvethe situation. At the moment there’s heavy treefelling all over the area, which is completely illegal.But people cut in the evening and night and take thetrunks to town immediately.’



which will build EWCO’s capacity for protectedareas and wildlife management. A special emphasiswill be placed on strengthening forest conservationcapacity within EWCO, a need that was identified inthe Ethiopian Forestry Action Plan.’

At the same time, the new unit hopes to facilitatecollaboration between EWCO and the Oromyanatural resource management agency. ‘We have todeal with the present situation,’ says Hundessa,‘which is that regional authorities have assumedresponsibility for managing all National ForestPriority Areas. The Oromya region is extremelyimportant for forest conservation in Ethiopia, havingthe second largest forest block in the country - theHarenna Forest on the slopes of the Bale Mountains -and several other important forest areas. So weshould give them all the support we can, apart fromour feelings about the best possible solution for thefuture. We hope that by promoting closercollaboration between EWCO and the Oromyaauthorities we can also provide a model for regionalprotected area management elsewhere.’▲

still in control,’ he says Hundessa’s organisation isresponsible for national parks and wildlife at thefederal level. ‘Regions have to obey the federal laws,and with respect to the national parks at least thereare clear federal laws. But I do admit, the situation isunclear. In a petition to the government we haveprotested against the transfer of national parks andwildlife sanctuaries to the regions. This is still underconsideration, as yet no decision has been made.Personally I feel that most regions feel it’s not theirtop priority. They do not have the time, budget norcapacities to conserve the areas.’

Closer collaborationIn light of the unclear political situation, improvingthe institutional capacity to manage protected areassuch as the Bale Mountains NP and Harenna forest ata federal as well a regional level is all the morechallenging. The Project has established a smallcapacity-strengthening unit within the federalEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Organisation(EWCO). ‘The purpose of this unit,’ explains TesfayeHundessa, ‘is to provide training and other support


Settlements

inside the park,

near Goba


people shouting greetings to eachother, or calling their dogs. Cowsmoo loudly, and cocks also makethemselves heard. It all showsjust how many people and theirlivestock have settled in thisprotected area in recent years.Still more living just outside theboundaries of the Park use itregularly for wood and pasture,bringing their cattle, sheep andgoats to graze or to visit therivers or mineral springs.

The growing human pressureon the Bale National Parksaddens Taddesse. ‘My heart fillswith sadness when I see all thosepeople here. Twenty years agonobody was allowed to settle

here. Everybody was aware of this. I guess they still are, butnobody gives a damn anymore.’

Why has this changed? For Abbay Taddesse the answer isclear: ‘It’s that thing they call democracy. Because of that, thefate of the Park is now in the hands of local interests. Thesepoliticians hand out favours to their voters, including thesilent permission to enter the Park.’

People did use the Park even in his days, he admits. ‘Ofcourse, local Oromo people used to cross the Park now andthen to visit relatives at the other side of the Sanetti plateau,or for trading goods. And sometimes they came to take woodor bamboo for construction work. But this was all strictlyregulated. People who even walked on the grass near the roadcould be fined.’

The controlled human presence was abruptly ended by themilitary regime, the Dergue. Local people were violentlychased away if they dared to enter the area.

‘You could disagree with their methods but for the Park itwas very good’, Abbay Taddesse says. ‘Then, when a civilgovernment was installed, the situation rapidly deteriorated.Resentment towards the Park had grown during the Dergue-period. When the military regime was finally chased away,people turned against government properties. They destroyedPark buildings and fences and started to kill wildlife. Peoplesaid: this is the land of the Oromo. Our grandfathers used tolive here, now the military are gone we move in again. Andthe new regional politicians didn’t do anything to stop them.They worry about the next election, not about the Park. Theydon’t want to disturb people.’▲

‘In half an hour we will seeMountain Nyala’s as well as

bushbucks. I’m pretty sure aboutthat. They used to come here everyevening.’With a guide like AbbayTaddesse it’s not hard to fall forthe beauty of the Bale MountainsNational Park. After arriving at thePark’s HQ at Dinsho, just north ofthe main road at about 7km fromthe village, and installingourselves in the guest rooms of thebeautifully located lodge, it’sTaddesse who comes to tell us it’snot time for relaxation yet. Aftermaking a trip of some ten hoursfrom Addis Ababa to this remotearea, it would be stupid to miss theday’s reward. The evening israpidly falling, so it’s high time for some game viewing.

Taddesse, in his fifties, well-humoured, the head coveredwith an American baseball cap, nowadays works as a guidefor a privately-owned tour operator in Addis whichspecialises in trips to the Ethiopian part of the Rift Valley.Abbay Taddesse was also the third Warden of the BaleMountains National Park, where he worked for six years,living at the Dinsho lodge. For him our trip to the Park is asentimental journey, a confrontation with almost forgottenmemories and people. Many inhabitants of Dinsho as well asstaff of the Park come to greet him. The typical Ethiopianway of embracing consisting of 4-5 hugs follows, as well as aprolonged bout of handshaking and the exchange of the latestinformation.

Nature in the direct surroundings of the Dinsho lodgeapparently hasn’t changed much. Without hesitation AbbayTaddesse leads us to the best places for viewing game, in themeantime pointing to the many endemic plants and some ofthe more than 200 birds species which have been counted inthis area. With respect to the large mammals his predictionproves inaccurate only in the amount of animals we see: thereare also warthogs and antelopes (duikers) to be admired. Thelargest impression though is made by the large MountainNyala’s, considering that this is an animal which can befound in no other country than Ethiopia.

‘So, not much has changed since you were here as aWarden?’ we ask Taddesse. ‘Far from it,’ he replies. ‘Listen tothe many human voices which can be heard on this quietevening.’Taddesse is right. At regular intervals one can hear



‘It’s this thing they calldemocracy’

Abbay TaddesseBUREAU M&O


This is Alpine Africa, at 2,500 m. Most of the menare middle-aged, some, with grey beards, are clearlyolder. They wear black boots and coats and carrywalking-sticks. These are proud, independent men,used to living their own lives without being told byothers what they should do. They were invited tocome to this place, well, here they are, saying, ‘tell uswhat you want, we are ready to listen to your story’.

Earlier that day we had entered the Bale MountainNational Park in a four-wheel drive vehicle,travelling in the direction of the Weyb Valley. Theconditions were rough, the whole area is intersectedby rivers which run through steeply eroded valleys.On the banks of the rivers, laundry was spread out todry in the sun, children played in the cold water.These were not the only signs of human presence inthis protected area. There were cows grazing, manyplots of land planted with the yellow-coloured staplefood barley, and a scattering of small houses. Men

Slowly the meeting room of the Dinsho lodge fillswith farmers and herdsmen. They greet each

other and push forwards to the fireplace in the middleof the room, warming their hands. Not much is said.It’s 8 p.m., outside the tropical night has fallen andthe temperature is rapidly approaching zero degrees.



‘We need results now’

Winning hearts Conservation of the Bale Mountains ecosystem and its

species is impossible without the support of local people.The problem consequently, is how to gain their support?Winning hearts is a big problem in a region where, after

twenty years of war and civil strife, people are fed-up withgovernment and external interference. It’s an attitude

typified by one farmer who, when asked who had givenhim permission to settle in the Bale Mountains National

Park, replied: ‘I didn’t ask anyone for permission. Land isgiven by God. Not by politicians.’

Oromo horsemen

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denuded their land. Now they are struggling toreforest the countryside, and carrying bricks toprotect against flooding. These people here can learnfrom that.’

Once the elders’ objections to the start of theproject have been removed, the idea is to setexamples, create models, says Fetene Hailu. ‘If thatis successful, you can convince people. So we willstart the work with small groups, at the periphery ofthe forest, the people who earn a living with bee-keeping or coffee-planting. We will educate them towork in a more sustainable way. The idea is to startwith five to ten families. Give them a piece of land,supply them with fertilisers, etc. From there on, youcan slowly expand.’

Back in Addis Ababa, Project Leader ErmiasBekele confirms this strategy: ‘Our basic approach isto test and promote the active and full participationof all key stakeholders, particularly local residentsliving in and around the protected areas in the

and boys worked in the fields, women busiedthemselves around the houses. Each time the patternwas the same: people talked freely about theirsituation and when they came to this area. However,when the questions turned to the future, and theirposition in this protected area where nobody issupposed to settle, we were told to ask the elders.That is not a question we can answer, they said, it isup to the community, and the elders are the ones whospeak for the community. Fetene Hailu of EWCOthen invited people to send representatives to theDinsho lodge that evening, for a first meeting.

The meeting itself takes several hours anddevelops along the familiar lines of an Africanmeeting, in search of some consensus. There are longintroductions by the representatives of theconservation project giving a detailed account oftheir trip, what they’ve experienced so far and theplans for the coming days. Observations theparticipants agree with are greeted with a drawn-out‘eeh’-sound signifying approval. After theseintroductions, several of the herdsmen stand up andtell their story. They begin by telling of theirancestors who had already lived in this area,followed by their own experiences under the regimesof the Emperor Haile Selassie, the military Dergueand the present civilian government. Then it’s timefor the project people to explain their plans in a bitmore detail, which is essentially a search for anacceptable balance between human activities and themaintenance of the natural ecosystem of the Park.‘What is your reaction?’ the elders are asked. Theoldest herdsman stands up and formulates a finalstatement: ‘We know about the problems of thePark,’ he says, ‘and we are aware that conservationis needed. But so too there can be no doubt that weneed the land. And this is our land. We have livedhere in the past, we were chased away by the militaryand when they were gone, we came back. And nowwe are here to stay. But we will think about yourproposal and meet again, some time later.’

Pilot projects‘This is our strategy,’ explains Fetene Hailu ofEWCO after the meeting. ‘You have to win the heartsof the chiefs first, and then convince them. That’s themost difficult part. After that, you can go on. Firstyou have to make clear to them that you fully respectthe Oromo traditions, which includes the importanceof living on the land of the ancestors. That’s aprofound feeling and cannot be denied. But then youargue that their coming back to this protected areaattracts other people too, and that this exacerbates theproblems in the area. They are quite aware of theproblem of population pressure here. I use theexample of Tigray, where people have completely



environment will undoubtedly take time. However,says Bekele, ‘there are critical issues which need tobe addressed immediately. Community developmentis one of them. This is something the peopledesperately want. A health-clinic. A tree nursery.Flour mills. Important items, especially for women.Here we have to come in as soon as possible. Ofcourse there will be 1001 requests for help. We haveto be realistic. We will explain to people that we are asmall project which cannot solve all their problems.But we have to act. If we don’t do so, the Project willmerely be planning for the future and that’s notappropriate. We need results now, and we need thesupport of the local people. Winning their hearts isthe only way to make this a success.’

It is hoped that future forms of self-regulationthrough the local communities can be achieved byassisting Conservation Committees in the fourworeda’s bordering the protected area. TheseCommittees could work with the Park to generate

conservation, management and sustainableutilisation of the forest and wildlife resources inthese protected areas. In practical terms, this is to berealised by implementing this approach in two orthree selected villages, both in the Bale MountainsNP and the Mena-Angetu NFPA. On a pilot basis. Inthis phase of the project we have to find out if this isthe right approach.’

First priority for the Project however is to get toknow the situation and the people better. Says Dr.Ermias Bekele: ‘Our documents are several years oldand may no longer be very realistic. We really needto know the actual situation. The amount of peopleusing the area, their actual activities and the realdamage caused by that, etc. So our first priority isresearching the actual situation, by means ofinterviewing people, which will also give them anopportunity to speak out about their preferences andneeds.’

Realising the goals of protecting the Park and its


Hygenia Abessina


‘The Bale Mountain National Park is in a badcondition, of that there can be no doubt. But I believethere are still plenty of opportunities to reverse thesituation. But first of all we need the activeparticipation of local people,’ concludes Bekele.‘Which means we have to convince them that theProject is good for them. That conservation can bringin revenues and that they will share in those benefits.At the same time we have to start working to buildcapacity, at the federal, and the regional as well as thelocal level. Management plans for the Park and itssurroundings have to be developed. And all this hasto be complemented by policy measures. That’s theroad ahead.’▲

activities and projects, which would then relieve thepressure on natural resources, and help thecommunities to develop. So far however, the onlyfunctional Woreda Committee is in the northernsector, at Dinsho. The concept of ‘Forest BlockAllocation Contracts’, i.e. leasing forest blocks toforest dwellers collectives - which has been proposedin another conservation project in Ethiopia - isanother challenging idea which needs to be closelymonitored. Greater awareness could also bestimulated by helping to establish wildlife clubs, saysBekele. ‘Young people, especially, have showninterest in taking part in such an activity. Also,scholarships for further nature-study could be madeavailable for some of the brightest students.’



Giant lobelia

The long-term development objective of the Project isthe conservation and sustainable management ofEthiopia’s priority biomes, especially forests. Itsimmediate objectives are:

• to strengthen the institutional capacity to manageEthiopia’s important protected area, with emphasison forests, by:• building the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation

Organisation’s capacity for protected areas andwildlife management, with emphasis on forestconservation;

• strengthening the capacity for management of the

Bale Mountains National Park and adjacentMena-Angetu National Forest Priority Area;

• facilitating collaboration between EWCO and theOromya natural resource management agency asa model for regional protected area management.

• to conserve and manage sustainably the forest andwildlife resources in the Bale Mountains NP andMena-Angetu NFPA, by:• adopting improved natural resource management

practices, which favour conservation andimproved living conditions for local communities;

• conserving the Afro-alpine and montane forestecosystems on the Bale Massif.

Forest conservation in high-priority areas

The DGIS-WWF Ethiopia Project objectives


population and with it the number of livestock, which willfurther increase pressure on the surrounding forest and otherwildlife areas. An additional risk is that the community’sinterests are not given an equitable expression. The much-respected elders who are responsible for community affairsare normally the most well-to do men within the community.As such they may be inclined to forget about the needs ofwomen and disadvantaged groups. This apparently occurredwhen, in the early 1990s, WWF was approached by theWoreda Committee to support Dinsho’s developmentthrough electricity connection. A survey conducted at thesame time clearly indicated a strong desire among the womenof Dinsho to have community firewood plantations. In thisinstance the WWF funded the community firewoodplantations. However, the support of the elders is seen asessential for the success of the project, so concessions mightbe necessary in the future.

A fine balancing act is needed, no other option available.The fact that several main stakeholders have expressed theirwillingness to proceed with the Project is promising. Othershave not yet had the opportunity to express themselves. If theProject is to succeed, building bridges between allstakeholders appears to be a necessity. ▲

Seeing the large grain fields on the fruitful plains whenapproaching the Bale Mountains, as well as the abundant

natural riches of the area itself, it is hard to believe that at thesame time some eight million Ethiopians are in a desperateneed of food aid. However, this fact alone fully justifies theEthiopian government’s decision to give priority to foodsecurity for its people. The conservation of wildlife andnatural biomes can only be considered in this light.

It’s an enormous challenge for the DGIS-WWF ‘ForestConservation in High Priority Areas’ Ethiopia Project toproduce evidence that wildlife and forest conservation maybe realised without endangering local people’s welfare andsecurity. Or better, to show that local people - by beinginvolved in the whole endeavour from the beginning - mayeven draw considerable benefits from conservationmeasures. One of the problems that may potentially arisefrom the proposed collaboration with the communities is thatthey are likely to push for a trade-off between developmentand conservation, which could ultimately becomeincreasingly conflictual.

Through the elders, the community of Dinsho has alreadyrequested a school, clinic, and the provision of electricity.Each of these interventions is likely to increase Dinsho’s

Food securityAND

forest conservation


Acknowledgements

All texts written by Hans van de Veen,Bureau M&O - Journalistic productions on environment and development

Published by the DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio based at WWF International.For further copies contact Astrid Bjorvik, Finance/Communications Co-ordinator,DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio WWF International, Avenue de Mont Blanc 27, 1196 Gland, SwitzerlandTel: +41 22 364 90 16, Fax +41 22 364 06 40, E-mail: [email protected]

All pictures by Abbay Taddesse, except on pages 10, 14 and 15 Layout and design: MMS Grafisch Werk, Amsterdam,The Netherlands Production: Bureau M&O, Amsterdam,The Netherlands

This publication receives outside financing. Citation is encouraged. Shorts excerpts may betranslated and/or reproduced without prior permission, on the condition that the source isindicated. For translation and/or reproduction in whole,WWF International should be notified inadvance. Responsibility for the contents and for the opinions expressed rest solely with theauthor; this publication does not constitute an endorsement by WWF International or thefinancier.The material and the geograpical designations in this magazine do not imply theexpression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF concerning the legal status of anycountry, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

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