Bale Mountains National Park
Encyclopedia
The Bale Mountains National Park is a national park
in the Oromia Region
of southeast Ethiopia
. Created in 1970, this park covers about 2,200 square kilometers of the Bale Mountains
to the west and southwest of Goba
in the Bale Zone
. Within its boundaries are some of the highest points in Ethiopia, which include Mount Batu
.
Bale Mountains contains three distinct ecoregion
s: the northern plain
s, bush and woods; the central Sanetti Plateau
with an average elevation of over 4000 meters; and the southern Harenna Forest
, known for its mammal
s, amphibian
s and bird
s including many endemic
species. The central Sanetti Plateau is home to the largest population of the rare and endangered Ethiopian wolves
.
The endangered Painted Hunting Dog, Lycaon pictus once existed in the Park (with relict packs reported in the 1990s), but may now be extirpated due to human population pressures
in this region.
As with the other National Parks in Ethiopia, Bale Mountains is at risk of local peoples moving inside the boundaries and settling there. In October 2002, it was reported that nearly 20,000 individuals had traveled from the Mirab (West) Hararghe
, Misraq (East) Hararghe
, and Arsi Zone
s into the park, where there is fear that their presence will intensify destruction of the environment and increase risks to communicable disease.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
of southeast Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Created in 1970, this park covers about 2,200 square kilometers of the Bale Mountains
Bale Mountains
The Bale Mountains are a range of mountains in the Oromia Region of southeast Ethiopia, south of the Awash River. 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...
to the west and southwest of Goba
Goba
Goba is a town in south-central Ethiopia. Located in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region approximately 446 km southeast of Addis Ababa, this city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2,743 meters above sea level...
in the Bale Zone
Bale Zone
Bale is one of the 17 zones in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Bale is named for the former kingdom of Bale, which was in approximately the same area...
. Within its boundaries are some of the highest points in Ethiopia, which include Mount Batu
Mount Batu
Mount Batu is one of the highest of the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia, as well as of the Oromia Region. Part of the Bale National Park, and located at , it reaches an elevation of 4,307 meters. It consists of two peaks, Tinnish Batu , which is actually higher than Tilliq Batu to the south...
.
Bale Mountains contains three distinct ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s: the northern plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s, bush and woods; the central Sanetti Plateau
Sanetti Plateau
The Sanetti Plateau is a major landform in Ethopia within a portion of the Bale Mountains; the Bale Mountains contain four distinct ecoregions: the northern plains, bush and woods; the central Sanetti Plateau with an average elevation of over 4000 meters; and the southern Harenna Forest. The...
with an average elevation of over 4000 meters; and the southern Harenna Forest
Harenna Forest
The Harenna Forest occupies an area in Ethiopia within a portion of the Bale Mountains; the Bale Mountains contain four distinct ecoregions: the northern plains, bush and woods; the central Sanetti Plateau with an average elevation of over 4000 meters; and the southern Harenna Forest. The Harenna...
, known for its mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s and bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s including many endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
species. The central Sanetti Plateau is home to the largest population of the rare and endangered Ethiopian wolves
Ethiopian Wolf
The Ethiopian wolf , also known as the Abyssinian wolf, Abyssinian fox, red jackal, Simien fox, or Simien jackal is a canid native to Africa...
.
The endangered Painted Hunting Dog, Lycaon pictus once existed in the Park (with relict packs reported in the 1990s), but may now be extirpated due to human population pressures
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
in this region.
As with the other National Parks in Ethiopia, Bale Mountains is at risk of local peoples moving inside the boundaries and settling there. In October 2002, it was reported that nearly 20,000 individuals had traveled from the Mirab (West) Hararghe
Mirab Hararghe Zone
Mirab Hararghe is one of the 17 Zones in the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Mirab Hararghe takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. Mirab Harerge is bordered on the south by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the southwest by Arsi, on the northwest by the Afar Region, on...
, Misraq (East) Hararghe
Misraq Hararghe Zone
Misraq Hararghe is one of the 17 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Misraq Hararge takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. Misraq Hararge is bordered on the southwest by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the west by Mirab Hararghe, on the north by Dire Dawa and...
, and Arsi Zone
Arsi Zone
Arsi is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Arsi is also the name of a former province. Both the Zone and the former province are named after a subgroup of the Oromo, who inhabit both...
s into the park, where there is fear that their presence will intensify destruction of the environment and increase risks to communicable disease.
External links
- The National Parks of Ethiopia: Bale Mountains Park - Part I (Addis Tribune)
- The National Parks of Ethiopia: Bale Mountains Park - Part II: Harena Forest (Addis Tribune)
- Biodiversity Monitoring in the Forest Ecosystems of Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia (University of Aberdeen website)