Far from the iconic rock-hewn churches, royal castles, and ancient sights of northern Ethiopia, comparatively few visitors make it to the Bale Mountains, some 400km southeast of Addis Ababa. Those that do are rewarded with a landscape of high drama - ranging from wild, rugged alpine scenery to thick, damp cloud forest - that’s home to an astonishing array of endemic species and the densest concentration of large mammals in the country.
Ethiopian Wolf in Bale Mountains National Park.
Bale Mountains National Park is a "must visit" destination in this vast country and Ethiopia’s prime wildlife area. The park's Afromontane habitats have one of the highest incidences of animal endemicity of any terrestrial habitat in the world. Known for its lush forests and high concentration of mammals, Bale Mountains National Park is the perfect destination for hikers, wildlife watchers, and nature enthusiasts.
Key Facts About Bale Mountains National Park
- Location: Southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Altitude Range: 1,500 - 4,377 meters above sea level.
- Endemic Species: Home to many endemic animals and plants.
- Climate Control: Attracts large amounts of orographic rainfall.
- Water Source: Source of 40 rivers contributing to five major rivers.
Home of the world's rarest wolf: Bale Mountains, Ethiopia
A Land of Diverse Landscapes
Here you can find gorges, lakes, streams, waterfalls, volcanic ridges and stunning views. These mountains are another important biodiversity hotspot, supporting evergreen forests, giant bamboo, moorlands, and juniper sheltered river valleys.
The park is located south-east of Addis Ababa at the coordinate between N7000’and E39045’. The area is within an altitude range of 1500-4377m asl. Major physical/ geological features: pronounced by mountain formations, extensive plateau, and valley and lava outpourings.
Read also: Exploring Chad's Fauna
Mountain landscape in Bale Mountains National Park.
Temperatures vary widely throughout BMNP: on the plateau, daytime temperatures are usually around 10 °C (50 °F) with strong winds; in the Gaysay Valley average daytime temperatures are around 20 °C (68 °F), and the Harenna Forest is around 25 °C (77 °F). However, the weather changes frequently and sometimes drastically.
Rainfall in the area is characterized by one -eight-month rainy season, with greater bulk of rain falling in April and the August to October. This means that from May-July, there are showers, usually in the afternoon. In elevations over 3,000 meters, night frosts are common.
Flora and Fauna of Bale Mountains
The national park is home to the largest remaining population of the critically endangered and endemic Ethiopian Wolf and it is here that you have the best chance of seeing this predator. The Mountain Nyala and the Starck’s Hare - yet more endemic animals - roam the foothills of the mountains here too. Endemic birds, bizarre underground rodents and other-worldly plants are also some of the many highlights of a safari here.
Exploring the dense forest surrounding the lodge in the crisp chill of early morning I begin to gain an understanding of the Bale Mountains’ remarkable biodiversity. As a pair of silvery-cheeked hornbills fly overhead, their heavy wingbeats emitting a low, electrical hum, the lodge’s resident naturalist, James, explains how the land was shifted upwards by a volcanic eruption millions of years ago, the resulting cloud forest forming a natural barrier for animals trapped in these isolated uplands.
Read also: History of Cameroon Soccer
While spottings are exceptionally rare up north in the popular Simien Mountains, here at Bale you are almost guaranteed a sighting - and probably several - as the wolves hunt their favourite prey, the fluffy, guinea-pig-like giant mole rat, as they emerge from their burrows into the warmth of the daytime sunshine.
With over 863 species of birds recorded, representing approximately 9.5% of the world's bird diversity and 39% of the bird species in Africa, Ethiopia is often considered one of the most avifaunal-rich countries in Africa. The Bale Mountains are home to over 282 species of birds, including nine of the 16 species endemic to Ethiopia. Furthermore, over 170 migratory birds have been recorded within the park.
The widely seen hygiene Abyssinica and Juniper trees dominated the park gives a suitable environment for birds, Thick Billed Roven (endemic) Rogetis Rail(endemic), Wattled lbis (endemic) and more others.
Vegetation Types:
- Afro-alpine moorland
- Heather
- Woodland
- Gaysay grassland
- Herenna forest
Each of these zones has their own characteristic flora and fauna. Surrounded by East African pencil juniper (Juniperus procera) trees and St. John’s wort, waist-high wildflowers and grasses grow in the Northern Grasslands and Woodlands. Carpeted in lichen covered rocks, and punctuated by Giant lobelia (Lobelia rynchopetalum) that grow to heights of up to 12 meters. The Harenna Forest plant community makes up about half of the park, a woodland of trees draped in moss and lichens that seem to drip off the branches.
The forests of the Bale Mountains are important for genetic stocks of wild forest coffee (Coffea arabica) and for medicinal plants in Ethiopia. Three medicinal plant hotspots have been identified: two in the Gaysay area and one in the Angesu area, spanning the park boundary.
Read also: Ghana Soccer Jersey
Other mammals of Bale Mountains National Park located in Harenna forest include the African golden wolf, Giant forest hog, Mantled guereza, lion, African leopard, and African wild dog. Almost one-third of the 47 mammals that live in BMNP are rodents.
At least 7 species of endemic Amphibians are discovered in forested swampy areas and Bale Mountains National park plateaus. Ethiopian burrowing tree frog (Leptopelis gramineus), Erlanger's Grassland frog (Ptychadena erlangeri) and Neumann's Grassland frog (Ptychadena neumanni) are commonly rare within these habitats.
Cultural Significance
The Bale Mountains are the true ancestral home of the Oromo, the largest single ethnic group in the Horn of Africa. Little is known about the Oromo people of the area and how they came to be there. The people of the region are dominantly Oromo-speaking farmers and cattle herders. The population of the entire Bale Zone is approximately 1.5 million. Afan Oromo is the official language of Oromia. However, most people in Bale Mountains speak some Amharic.
Landscape of mountains.
They follow a traditional transhumance system known as the Godantu system, a key feature of traditional human use of the Bale Mountains. In this system, livestock, particularly cattle, are sent to higher grazing grounds during the months when crops are growing in lower altitudes or into the forest for shade during the dry season.
Bale houses are circular in shape and locally referred to as “mana citaa”. Juniper and sometimes eucalyptus are used to make the walls and roof. The roof is covered with thatched grass cut from “citaa” (tussock grass) or stubble, especially barley, and supported by a wooden pillar, which stands in the middle of the floor.
Threats and Conservation
Bale Mountains National Park is faced with many threats associated with an ever-developing and increasingly populated Ethiopia. One of the biggest threats to the park is grazing. For example, within the Web Valley, a prime Ethiopian wolf habitat, cattle density is estimated at 250 per square kilometer. Other threats include increasing settlements within the park.
Currently, over 40,000 people live within the park's boundaries, increasing pressure on the natural resources of the area and diminishing natural habitats of wild animals. With these settlements come domestic dogs, which pose a great threat to the Ethiopian wolf. Dogs transmit rabies and canine distemper, and in 2010 killed 106 individuals (approximately 40% of the Bale population of Ethiopian wolves).
Other serious threats include the use of the wolf habitat by livestock for grazing which significantly reduces the availability of rodent prey. Over 12 million people, their livestock, and the environment in the south of Ethiopia as well as neighboring Somalia and northern Kenya rely on the water that originates from the Bale massif.
If the flow of these rivers is altered in any way - through deforestation, overgrazing of pastures and/or over abstraction for irrigation (all of which are occurring at present) - a highland/lowland imbalance results with loss of perennial water in the lowlands. The people are, therefore, likely to become increasingly food-aid dependent if the water catchment areas of the Bale Mountains are insufficiently protected.
Popular articles:
tags: #Ethiopia
