The Value of the Ethiopian Protected Area System: Message to Policy Makers

Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA)

Your contact at EWCA:Kifle Argaw (Dr.), Director GeneralEthiopian Wildlife Conservation AuthorityP.O. Box 386Addis Ababa, EthiopiaTel: +251-11-5-514389Email: e.w.c.o@ethionet.et

Production: ÖBf AG, www.oebfconsulting.at, consulting@bundesforste.at Layout: Breiner&Breiner, www.breiner-grafik.com, office@breiner-grafik.comPhoto credits: GTZ-IS/Dr. Ludwig Siege, Lakew Berhanu and ÖBf AG/Alexander Horst, Alois Schuschnigg

Your contact at SDPASE:Sustainable Development of the Protected Area System of Ethiopia ProjectLakew Berhanu and Dr. Ludwig Siege GTZ-IS, UNDP/GEFc/o Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation AuthorityP.O. Box 28127, Code 1000, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaTel: +251-913-073700Email: ludwig.siege@gtz.de Email: lakew.berhanu@gtz.de

This publication has been prepared by Austrian Federal Forests (ÖBf AG) and funded by the Global Environment Facility through the United Nations Development Programme

Protected areas are an integralpart of the fight against poverty.

The value of protected areas is fargreater in terms of environmental

services (e.g. climate stabilization, carbonsequestration, provision of clean water,erosion control, etc.) than the value of di-rect benefits through tourism and em-ployment.

The value of benefits to the nationaleconomy by far exceeds the cur-

rent budget provided by central govern-ment of US$ 1.3 million (ETB 16.1 million,budget 2009/10) and warrants increased in-vestment to raise management effective-ness in order to ensure the continuous flowof services, provided by protected areas.

Protected areas are often centre-pieces of wetlands and water -

sheds, which need to be effectivelymanaged. Additionally it is necessary toexpand the protected area system to in-clude other important wetlands and wa-tersheds, which currently lack anyprotection status.

Effective management of the pro-tected area system requires ade-

quate funding, which is a direct investmentinto sustained growth of downstream eco-nomies and the national economy.

Protected areas and their effectivemanagement are directly linked

to the fight against poverty and must be-come a key strategy of Ethi opia’s devel-opment agenda.

Key Policy Message

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Ethiopia is endowed with abundant natural resourceswhich form the basis of most livelihood strategies in ru-ral areas and the economy at large, considering that 85%of the workforce is engaged in the primary sector.

However, human-induced pressure on natural habitatsis increasing, causing an unsustainable use of naturalresources, overgrazing by a large livestock population,conversion of natural habitat and consequently frag-mentation and isolation of remaining natural habitats andforests. The main cause of deforestation in Ethiopia isa growing population and subsequent higher demand foragriculture, livestock production and fuelwood. At thebeginning of the 20th century, around 420,000 km² or 35%of Ethiopia's land was covered with forests. Since thenat least 90% of these indigenous forests have been lost.

Much of the remaining natural habitat is contained with-in the Ethiopian Protected Area System, made up ofwildlife and forest protected areas. These are unique interms of their biodiversity and contain high levels of en-demism. However, the conservation of our protected ar-eas is not only protecting wild animals and plants. Theyplay an important role in the sustainable developmentof our national economy by providing environmental serv-ices such as a healthy environment in the form of cleanwater and air, the provision of water for irrigated agri-culture and electricity production, the mitigation of cli-mate change, opportunities for climate change adap-tation, the continuous provision of medicinal plants andthe protection of the gene pool of a globally importantcommodity, coffee, to name a few. Hence, the benefitsprovided by protected areas go far beyond the bound-aries of protected areas.

In this view, the Ethiopian Government has realized thatprotected areas are not only about wild animals andplants but about people and their livelihoods. They playa pivotal role in the fight against poverty and sustainablerural development. Consequently, the Government is fol-lowing a strategy of involving rural communities, the pri-vate sector and non-governmental organizations in themanagement of protected areas in order to increase theirmanagement effectiveness and thereby maximize thebenefits provided by protected areas to the nationaleconomy.

It is against this background that the Government ofEthiopia developed the project “Sustainable Developmentof the Protected Area System of Ethiopia”. The project’sgoal was set at: “Ethiopia’s biodiversity, ecosystems andecological processes are effectively safeguarded fromhuman-induced pressures and adequately representedin a sustainable protected area system that is con-tributing significantly to economic development, both lo-cally and nationally”. The project commissioned ÖBf Con-sulting to conduct a study to investigate the economicvalue of our protected areas.

The Government is pleased to have partnered with theGlobal Environment Facility and the United NationsDevelopment Programme in developing and imple-menting this project with the German Agency for Tech-nical Cooperation-International Services. We hope thatthe outcome will enable Ethiopia to provide for an en-abling environment for effective biodiversity conserva-tion, supporting the sustainable utilization of natural re-sources and ultimately contributing to the growth of thenational economy.

Kifle Argaw (Dr.)Director GeneralEthiopian Wildlife ConservationAuthorityP.O. Box 386Addis Ababa, EthiopiaTel: +251-11-5-514389Email: e.w.c.o@ethionet.et

Protected areas play an importantrole in the sustainable development of our national economy.

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Ethiopia’s Protected Area System is larger than the glob-al average, covering 14% of its landmass. The recentlycreated Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority(EWCA) is managing 13 National Parks, Wildlife Sanc-tuaries and Reserves and regulates as well as admin-isters wildlife utilization in the entire country. Other pro-tected areas, including a number of National Parks, For-est Priority Areas and Controlled Hunting Areas, are man-aged by various regional authorities in the nine statesof the federation.

The biogeography is characterized through the Ethiopi-an Highland Plateau and the arid Horn of Africa. Both ar-eas are considered as biodiversity hotspots of global im-portance due to high levels of endemism. Furthermore,the afromontane highlands are the main watershed forthe arid lowlands, making the lowlands dependent on thegood management and protection of watersheds in thehighlands, many of which lie in protected areas. Thus,the overall economic value of the protected area sys-tem comprises indirect benefits and environmentalservices in addition to direct benefits from the usage ofprotected areas which are currently minimal.

In Ethiopia protected areas comprise National Parks,Wildlife Reserves and Sanctuaries, Forestry Priority Ar-eas and Controlled Hunting Areas, forming the corner-stones of the national conservation strategy. As such,

they are an integral part of sustainable development forEthiopia in providing protection to centrepieces ofwider landscapes and watersheds as source of impor-tant ecosystem services. They act as refuges forspecies and ecological processes that cannot survivein intensely managed landscapes. Although protectedareas were often created primarily to conserve biodi-versity, they also provide other essential benefits for lo-cal communities as well as the national economy at large.

Threats to Biodiversity Conservation inEthiopia

The overall management effectiveness of most protectedareas is low, as many areas are not legally gazetted, re-ceiving inadequate funding, are understaffed and ill-equipped. Hence they often provide low levels of bio-diversity conservation.

The principal threats to biodiversity of Ethiopia stem from:� de facto open access of resources leading to degra-

dation of habitats;� conversion of natural habitat to agricultural land;� overgrazing by large livestock population;� weak institutional and financial capacity to manage

protected areas, and� invasive species.

The Ethiopian Protected Area System

The overall management effectiveness of most protected areas is low, compro-mising their ability to provide benefits to downstream economies. prot

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Wildlife Protected Areas in Ethiopia

Protected areas provide many resources that can beused to provide direct gains, subsistence resources orless tangible benefits such as climate change mitigationand erosion control. Benefits provided by protected ar-eas can be divided into four categories:

� Providing services to enable people to make a living(e.g. grazing resources, forest products, fish re-sources, wild food products, etc.)

� Supporting human life (e.g. potable water and cleanair, providing water for electricity production and ir-rigation)

� Regulating other important ecosystem functionsand services (e.g. montane forests regulating down-stream water flows, carbon sequestration, natural dis-aster mitigation)

� Having cultural significance and providing opportu-nities for recreation (e.g. sacred sites, ecotourism andtrophy hunting)

Certain benefits and values, such as recreation, tourism,grazing, agriculture, timber and fuelwood, amongst oth-ers, accrue directly to a protected area and the com-munities living within or close to the same. Other bene-fits accrue indirectly to the national economy and the glo-bal community. These benefits largely comprise the pro-

tected area’s ecological functions, such as watershedprotection, soil stabilization and erosion control, provi-sion of clean water and associated filtration and storagefunctions, climate stabilization and carbon sequestration.

Watershed protection

Ethiopia has twelve major watersheds, supporting oneof the most populated regions on the sub-continent, withmost people being subsistence farmers and pastoralists.The region is known to be prone to severe food pro-duction shortages due to highly variable and unreliablerainfall patterns.

High population pressure and associated intensiveland use systems have accelerated land degradation anddeforestation in fragile environments, characterized bysteep topographies, causing ongoing degradation anderosion. Sustainable land and water management is crit-ical to improving human well-being in the Ethiopian high-lands, as rapid deterioration in land quality has an im-pact on the availability of safe drinking water as well asincreasing the risk of chronic food insecurity in the re-gion. This sensitive environment forms the basis for mostlivelihood strategies in rural communities, making themvulnerable, as land degradation proceeds.

Benefits provided by the Ethiopian Protected Area System

Protected areas provide benefits through:watershed protection, carbon sequestration,biodiversity conservation, provision of forest products, avoiding deforestation.

A recent study, commissio -ned by EWCA establishedthat the value of protected areas is far greater in termsof environmental services(e.g. climate stabilization,electricity production, hydrological services, etc.)than the value of direct bene-fits through tourism and em-ployment.

BENEFIT: The economic value of watershed protec-tion functions of EWCA-managed protected areas.The value of watershed serv-ices of protected areas is es-ti mated to be at least US$ 432million per annum.

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Source: World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund (2000)

Protected areas conserve natural habitats and process-es which are crucial in effective watershed management,such as:

� Reduce flooding by storing excess water and slow-ing water velocity

� Treat waste water by breaking down and filtering toxins� Recharge groundwater� Avoid deforestation and reduce erosion, stabilising

soils� Eliminate impurities and maintain water quality

through biological life cycles� Maintain perennial water levels, storing and releasing

water continuously� Replenish well water levels for human and livestock

consumption � Recycle nutrients � Reduce sedimentation by slowing surface runoff,

thereby lessen silting of dams and stabilising elec-tricity production

Effective watershed management also helps in reduc-ing the cost of electricity production by avoiding ex-cessive sedimentation levels which greatly reduce thelifespan of dams. The successful hydropower produc-tion in Ethiopia is dependent on the continuous waterflow to fill dams and reservoirs. Excessive deforestationincreases the sediment levels of rivers and streams,thereby increasing the material accumulation in dams,effectively reducing power production as well as thelifespan of dams, not to mention the subsequent pro-duction losses by the industrial and manufacturing

sector. Sedimentation of dams and reservoirs is reportedto incur immense costs on the part of the Ethiopian Elec-tric Power Corporation (EEPCO).

Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change

Protected areas assist in reducing greenhouse gas emis-sions in the atmosphere by sequestering carbon diox-ide from the atmosphere. They serve as effective natu-ral barriers against the impact of climate change, miti-gating flooding, changing precipitation patterns, land-slides and storm surges and keep natural resourceshealthy and productive by protecting natural process-es. Protected areas are one of the most effective waysto mitigate climate change as well as to adapt to the neg-ative implication caused by climate change.

A recent study emphasises the need for national gov-ernments to recognise the importance of integratingmaintenance and expansion of protected areas into na-tional climate change strategies.

The Ethiopian Protected Area System has good poten-tial to mitigate climate change by safeguarding the re-maining natural forests and wetlands from over ex-ploitation and conversion to other land uses.

Biodiversity

Ethiopia is considered to be rich in biodiversity with 1,408known species of fauna and at least 6,603 species of flo-ra. 7% of faunal species and 15.1% of floral species are

BENEFIT: A recent study estimates the economic value of carbon stored aboveand below ground in EWCA-managed protected areas.The value of stored carbon isUS$ 938 million, of which almost US$ 19 million is lostannually due to deforestation.

BENEFIT: The economic valueof biodiversity in EWCA-managed protected areas isestimated to amount to atleast US$ 3.75 million per an-num but could be as high asUS$ 112 million per annum.

considered endemic, meaning they do not occur in anyother country. 4.6% of faunal species are believed to bethreatened.

Ethiopia is the cradle of the coffee gene pool, includingmany wild coffee land races. The genetic diversity of cof-fee and wild coffee derivates, found in Ethiopia, has atremendous value in terms of breeding potential for aglobally important food commodity, grown in manycountries.

Important flagship species, endemic to Ethiopia, are theEthiopian Wolf (Canis simensis), Walia Ibex (Capra walie),Gelada Baboon (Theropithecus gelada), Giant Lobelia(Lobelia rhyncopetalum), amongst others. These speciesare characteristic of the Ethiopian afro-alpine eco- region,reflecting the biodiversity value of the Ethiopian ProtectedArea System. Other examples for the exceptional bio-diversity value of the Ethiopian Protected Area Systemare the wetlands and floodplains found in Gambella Na-tional Park. Ethiopia and the Sudan share the second

largest mammal migration on the continent. Almost onemillion White-eared Kob (Kobus kob leucotis) migrate be-tween the two countries to take advantage of the vastgrassland areas and floodplains. The Shoebilled Stork(Balaeniceps rex) was present in the Gambella flood-plains but its presence has not been confirmed for sometime.

Forest products

Forest products comprise of timber and wood productsand non-timber forests products (e.g. forest coffee, hon-ey, medicinal plants, pepper, gum, raisin, oils, etc.). It isestimated that more than 90% of Ethiopians depend onfuelwood to meet their household energy needs.

Ethiopia has a long history of honey and beeswax pro-duction, with the former having developed into the largesthoney industry in Africa, exporting to world markets. Honey and wax are traditionally produced at household level as a cash crop.

BENEFIT: The economic valueof the native gene pool of coffee, in regards to futurebreeding programmes of oneof the globally most importanttraded commodities, is believed to be as high as US$ 420 million.

BENEFIT: A study in the BaleMountains established thatthe economic benefits of forest products amounts toabout US$ 407 per householdper annum.

Timber, bamboo, grasses and reeds are the main constructionmaterials used by the majority of the rural population.

Many rural communities have a vast knowledge on me-dicinal plants. At least 337 plant species are reported tohave medicinal properties in the afro-alpine eco-regionalone. They are distributed in woodlands and forests fol-lowed by the montane grasslands and dry montane for-est complex of the plateau all over the country. Other im-portant vegetation types for medicinal plants are the ever-green bushland and rocky areas. It is estimated that morethan 85% of the Ethiopian population use and partly de-pend on medicinal plants as their primary source ofhealthcare. Hence, medicinal plants are an importantcomponent of the national healthcare system, supple-menting the modern healthcare service, which is limit-ed and too expensive for the majority of people.

Many plant species, used for traditional medicines are be-coming rare and limited in distribution. They are threatenedby human-induced and natural factors, such as environ-

mental degradation, agricultural expansion, loss of forestand woodlands, over-harvesting, fire and urbanization.

Deforestation

Ethiopia has one of the highest deforestation rates on theglobe, loosing about 2% of forest cover per annum, amount-ing to somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 hectares.

Deforestation has an obvious impact on people who livein or close to forests decreasing the forest’s future ca-pacity to produce timber and other forest products, fod-der, fruits and medicinal plants. However, the impact alsoextends to urban areas in the form of increased pricesof fuelwood and timber due to the increasing scarcityof supplies. It is estimated that the impact of acceleratingdeforestation hits the rural and urban poor, who dependon forest products and medicinal plants without suitablealternatives. Hence, deforestation affects the entire na-tional economy, placing protection of the remaining nat-ural forests on the highest agenda.

BENEFIT: Medicinal plants areof tremendous value to Ethi -opians, of whom more than85% regularly use naturalremedies. The value of medic-inal plants collected in EWCA-managed protected areas andthe value of their associatedtrade is estimated to amount toUS$ 13.2 million per annum.

COST: The economic loss of deforestation is believed to be around US$ 660 perhectare per year, amountingto a loss of US$ 19 million perannum.

Most protected areas are primarily created to conservebiodiversity, but there are many other important valueswhich protected areas are increasingly being expect-ed to deliver, such as social, economic and cultural ben-efits. Assurances that protected areas will providesuch benefits are often crucial for attracting the supportneeded for their creation and sustenance, however de-livering on these promises is seldom easy. Protected areamanagers and protected area agencies are increasinglybeing asked to assess the values, benefits and servic-es provided by protected areas in order to warrant corefunding for conservation.

The Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Developmentto End Poverty (PASDEP), representing the developmentstrategy of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, identifies themain development objectives of the country, includingagricultural development-led industrialization, justice sys-tem and civil service reform, decentralization, empow-erment and capacity building in the public and privatesectors.

Of a total population of 85 million people, 85% reside inrural areas. Rural populations are highly dependent on

natural resources and subsistence agriculture is includedin the majority of livelihood strategies. The PASDEP rec-ognizes the linkage between environmental degradationand poverty levels and does focus on the conservationof natural resources, including water, soil and energy.

However, the national protected area system is not ex-plicitly accommodated in the programme and has a his-tory of marginalization in the national developmentcontext. This marginalization of the sector is evident inthe relatively low funding levels from government cof-fers and secondly, in relatively low attention from mul-ti- and bilateral development assistance, which is tiedto the national development strategy.

Therefore, it is necessary to add the linkages betweenan effective protected area system and poverty reduc-tion in pursuing achievement of the Millennium Devel-opment Goals by estimating the value of other environ-mental services, provided by a representative protect-ed area system as the basis for effective biodiversity con-servation.

Protected Areas and their Value in the Fight against Poverty

The Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Developmentto End Poverty (PASDEP) out-lines Ethiopia’s pro-poor development agenda and provides the basis for main-streaming Ethiopia’s protect-ed area system into thebroader development context.

Protected areas are instrumental in thefight against poverty and for the achieve-ment of sustainable livelihoods, especiallyfor the rural poor. livel

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The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA),created in 2008, manages 13 National Parks, Wildlife Re-serves and Sanctuaries, measuring over 3.75 millionhectares of natural habitat, including 1.8 million hectaresof forest and woodlands. This represents almost 20% ofthe total remaining natural forest cover in Ethiopia. Muchof the remaining forest is found in Forest Priority Areasand Controlled Hunting Areas, managed by various re-gional authorities. In protected areas managed by re-gional authorities, EWCA retains a regulative authorityin terms of wildlife utilization (e.g.: quota setting, licensing,issuing permits, etc.).

The institution acts in line with the following values:

� We conserve and manage Ethiopia’s wildlife scien-tifically and responsively.

� We will be evaluated by our customer satisfaction. � We work for the benefit of Ethiopians. � We work to maximise the benefit from the sector.� We shall be accountable for ethical rules.� We give priorities for gender and youth. � We ensure sustainable development by engaging in

a dynamic and continuing change.

A recent study concluded that in order for EWCA toachieve its vision and effectively fulfil its mandate, thefollowing conditions need to be in place in regard to sus-tainable financing and effective protected areas man-agement:

� Secure government funding� Develop a revenue retention scheme� Develop a donor programme strategy� Investigate the suitability of a trust fund� Reduce barriers to effective protected area man-

agement� Engage in partnerships with regional authorities, ru-

ral communities and the private sector� Support local communities and foster local employ-

ment� Explore cost-sharing opportunities� Explore possibilities for payments for environmental

services

The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority – EWCA

Mission Statement:To sustainably conserve andmanage Ethiopian wildlife resources through active participation of local com -munities for the benefit ofEthiopians in particular andthe global community in general and maintain it forthe coming generation as aheritage.

EWCA´s Vision: to be a leader in Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Tourism.

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EWCA

The Government of the Republic of Ethiopia, with the fi-nancial assistance of the Global Environment Facility(GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), is implementing the project: “Sustainable De-velopment of the Protected Area System of Ethiopia”(SDPASE) to assist in building the required institutionalcapacity within EWCA to fulfil its mandate to effective-ly manage the national protected area system.

Since its launch in 2008, SDPASE has been engaged ina range of activities to help EWCA achieve its conser-

vation objectives. The project specifically concentrateson activities which have a knock-on effect within pro-tected areas management, including protected areas de-marcation, maintenance and procurement of equipment,training of scouts using national and international ex-perts, website development and training of EWCA expertswithin Ethiopia as well as abroad. SDPASE continues tosupport these activities in the future as they are consi-dered crucial in overcoming the main barriers to effec-tive management of protected areas in Ethiopia.

Capacity building to effectively manage the Ethiopian Protected Area System

In order to render protected areascapable to play their role in the country’s development, effective management has to be in place. cap

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