Tag: local communities

Research reveals strong community willingness to protect declining wildlife in southern Ethiopia

The investigation, which was carried out through household surveys, focus group discussions, and field observations, revealed that local wildlife populations are under critical strain.

A new study published in the open-access journal BioRisk has highlighted a powerful wave of local support for wildlife conservation in the Hamer District of South Omo, Ethiopia, despite severe environmental pressures.

Researchers from the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, the Gullele Botanic Garden, and the University of Szczecin investigated the primary factors driving habitat degradation and evaluated whether communities are prepared to support future conservation strategies.

The investigation, which was carried out through household surveys, focus group discussions, and field observations, revealed that local wildlife populations are under critical strain. An overwhelming majority of the surveyed residents, precisely 82.3 per cent, reported a noticeable decline in wild animal numbers within their vicinity.

Map of Ethiopia showing the current study area (the Hamer District). Image credit: Zelalem Temesgen et al.

Participants identified deforestation and overgrazing as the most significant hazards to local biodiversity, with 63.5 per cent selecting forest clearing as the primary threat and 50.0 per cent identifying livestock overgrazing as the secondary threat. These human-induced activities are exacerbated by recurrent droughts and changing climate patterns, forcing pastoralist communities to venture deeper into natural habitats to seek fodder and water for their livestock.

Human induced fire in the Hamer District observed during the field visit. Image credit: Zelalem Temesgen et al.

Despite facing these daily challenges for survival, the local community demonstrated a remarkable commitment to environmental stewardship. The researchers found that 90.6 per cent of the respondents expressed an explicit willingness to participate actively in future wildlife conservation initiatives.

Focus group discussions held in Hamer District during the study. Image credit: Zelalem Temesgen et al.

Further, 96.9 per cent of those interviewed acknowledged that the responsibility to safeguard local species rests directly with the community itself, while 99 per cent stated that intervention programmes are an urgent necessity. Statistical modelling demonstrated that factors such as the specific locality, gender, marital status, and length of residence significantly influence an individual’s openness to conservation efforts.

Wildlife population status in the Hamer District as reported by survey respondents (%). Image credit: Zelalem Temesgen et al.

The study notes that local inhabitants traditionally interact with wildlife for various purposes, including utilising certain species for food, traditional remedies, or cultural decorations. However, these practices, combined with habitat loss, have pushed several animals to the brink, leaving the local presence of iconic species such as giraffes and ostriches highly uncertain.

To foster sustainable coexistence between humans and wild animals, the authors recommend implementing managed livestock husbandry practices and constructing dedicated water ponds to alleviate resource competition during dry spells.

They also advocate for the promotion of ecotourism, community-led management initiatives, and stricter enforcement of wildlife protection laws to curb illegal hunting and habitat destruction in the region.

Original source:

Temesgen Z, Biru Y, Gibru A (2026) Anthropogenic threats and challenges of wildlife conservation in Hamer District, South Omo, Ethiopia. BioRisk 24: 69-84. https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.24.175449

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Light at the end of the tunnel: Restored forest now shelters dozens of endangered species

During the last twenty years, scientists worked hard to protect and restore the scattered patches of a dilapidated forest and its surroundings of agricultural and fallow vegetation in southern Benin.

With the help of their locally recruited assistants, Peter Neuenschwander, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Benin, and Aristide Adomou, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, successfully thinned out the alien timber growing there and introduced 253 species, whose seeds and plantlets they had managed to collect from the last remnants of the original forest. Their research article is published in the open access journal Nature Conservation.

The team collecting seeds and plantlets in a neighbouring rainforestToday, the rehabilitated forest in Drabo harbours about 600 species of plants and constitutes a sanctuary for many animals, including the critically endangered and endemic red-bellied monkey.

Over the course of the last two decades, pantropical weedy species declined, while West-African forest species increased in numbers. Of the former, fifty-two species, mostly trees, shrubs and lianas, are listed as threatened – more than those in any other existing forest in Benin. Furthermore, some of the critically endangered species amongst them can be found exclusively in the last small, often sacred forests in Benin, which while covering merely 0.02% of the national territory, harbour 64% of all critically endangered plant species.

“The biodiversity richness of the rehabilitated forests of Drabo now rivals that of natural rainforest remnants of the region,” note the authors.

The newly restored forest in Drabo is relatively easy to access due to its proximity to large towns. It is intended to become an educational and research centre maintained by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. In fact, it already serves as an exemplary forest in the region.

With their initiative, the scientists and their followers demonstrate that by involving local communities and taking their customs into consideration, the safety of exposed precious ecosystems, even if located in a densely populated area, can be effectively assured.

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Original source:

Neuenschwander P, Adomou AC (2017) Reconstituting a rainforest patch in southern Benin for the protection of threatened plants. Nature Conservation 21: 57-82. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.21.13906