Wildlife Habitat Loss and Land Cover Change as Conservation Threat in Alatish National Park, Northwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

The ecosystem of the Alatish National Park is an Ecotone between the Afromontane Region in Ethiopia and the Sudan-Guinea Savanna Region of Tropical Biome. The biological attribute of the park where the country opt to manage the resource sustainably are thought to be unique. However, the sustainability of its biological resources has faced profound threats. The aim of this study was to identify the threats of habitat loss and evaluate their effect on land cover change in the park. The result showed that fire induced by humans was the major threat of habitat loss. The nomads who intruded into the park from the Sudan side were not easily controlled by the Park scouts. The land cover change analysis revealed that woodland habitat of the Park was altered significantly. The land cover of the Park in 1999 showed that deciduous type of woodland was 46.55%, but it was reduced to 19.8% in 2013. On the contrary, wooded grassland habitat was increased from 35.4% to 64.5% of the land cover in 1999 and 2013, respectively. This indicates that threats of habitat loss remain unsolved after the establishment of Park. Therefore, urgent interventions by the federal government and international conservation foundations should be mandated to support the management effectiveness of the park office. These would enable the park office to control major conservation threats through the Ethio-Sudan Transboundary National Park collaboration and implementation of management strategies.