SUMMARY The present work completes the systematic treatment of Ethiopian mammals, commenced in 1973, by considering a diverse assemblage of species which presents the mammalogist with two quite distinct problems. Most of the larger forms are relatively free from taxonomic complexities, at least at the specific level, but rapidly declining in numbers as a result of drought, widespread destruction of natural habitat and inadequately controlled hunting. It appears that conservable stocks of pure-bred African Wild ass, Equus africanus (Fitzinger, 1857), now exist only in the Danakil region of Ethiopia, where the population is estimated to number no more than 2–3,000 head, while the herds of E. grevyi Oustalet, 1882 have been severely depleted during the past decade, both in this country and in neighbouring Kenya. The African Elephant, Loxodonta africana (Blumenbach, 1797), now occupies only remnants of its former range in Ethiopia and the position of the small Somali-arid race, L. a. orleansi Lydekker, 1907, ...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03749444.1986.10736707

Catalogue of the mammals of ethiopia

Myanmar is among the most biologically diverse countries in mainland Southeast Asia. In con- trast to its neighbors, large areas of Myanmar's forest cover remain intact, providing a unique opportunity to conserve biodiversity within protected areas. High levels of deforestation, unrestricted hunting, and destruc- tive agricultural practices have resulted in significant wildlife declines and rapid loss of natural habitats. We analyzed the status of 20 of the 31 officially gazetted protected areas in Myanmar within a framework that classified activities incompatible with protected-area status into two broad categories, small and large scale. Small-scale incompatibilities driven by economic necessity and lack of alternatives for local populations within and adjacent to protected areas occurred more frequently than large-scale incompatibilities driven by larger economic interests. Extraction of nontimber forest products was reported in 85% of the protected areas and ranked highest among the 15 identified incompatibilities. Grazing, hunting, fuelwood extraction, and permanent settlements occurred in more than 50% of the parks surveyed. Forty percent of the protected areas had some infrastructure for reserve management (with significant gaps) but insufficient on-site personnel to adequately perform management activities. Thirty-five percent had approximately half their staff trained in basic field techniques, and 60% had a planning document that was yet to be implemented. Older protected ar- eas were affected by a greater number of incompatibilities than recently established protected areas. Major recommendations include the critical need to address the issue of hunting; involving local communities in the management of protected areas and buffer zones; building the technical capacity of protected-area staff; implementing a comprehensive land-use plan focused on stabilizing land use; and amending existing wildlife laws to fulfill international treaty obligations.

Status Review of the Protected‐Area System in Myanmar, with Recommendations for Conservation Planning

The distribution, status and conservation of the Himalayan musk deer Moschus chrysogaster

Hunting for subsistence and trade constitute a major threat to wildlife populations within and outside protected areas in Myanmar. We examined hunting patterns in a forested landscape adjoining the Hkakaborazi National Park in north Myanmar with the aim of generating recommendations to manage hunting. The results described here focus on two issues: the sig- nificance of proximity to settlements and markets for prey abundance, and the influence of relative abundance and intrinsic preference on prey offtake. We used strip transect and camera trap surveys to generate relative abundance indices and overall encounter/capture rates for commonly hunted species at four sites that differed in their proximity to settlements and large trading towns. Questionnaires were used to obtain meal records and

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Hunting patterns in tropical forests adjoining the Hkakaborazi National Park, north Myanmar

Knowledge about the phylogenetic history, genetic variation and ecological requirements of a species is important for its conservation and management. Unfortunately, for many species this information is lacking. Here we use multiple approaches (phylogenetics, population genetics and ecological modelling) to evaluate the evolutionary history and conservation status of Capra walie, an endangered flagship species of wild goat endemic to Ethiopia. The analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b and Y-chromosome DNA sequences suggests that C. walie forms a monophyletic clade with Capra nubiana, but potentially has been isolated for up to 0.8 million years from this closely related species. Microsatellite DNA analyses show that C. walie has very low genetic variation (mean heterozygosity=0.35) compared with other endangered mammals. This reduced variation likely derives from a prolonged demographic decline and small effective population size. Ecological niche modelling using the bioclimatic features of habitats occupied by C. walie, suggests ecological differences between C. walie and C. nubiana, and identifies the areas most suitable for future reintroductions of C. walie. The genetic and bioclimatic data suggest that C. walie is distinct and requires immediate conservation actions including genetic monitoring and reintroductions to establish independent populations. This study illustrates how combining noninvasive sampling along with genetic and ecological (bioclimatic) approaches can help assess conservation status of poorly known species.

/pdf/combining-genetic-and-ecological-data-to-assess-the-2sunm6a2r2.pdf

Combining genetic and ecological data to assess the conservation status of the endangered Ethiopian walia ibex

Still relatively rich in the larger African mammals despite the destruction of recent years, Ethiopia is tackling wildlife conservation problems in earnest. In 1965 the Imperial Government set up a Wildlife Conservation Department, and appointed John Blower as Senior Game Warden and adviser on wildlife conservation. Several national parks are now scheduled, and it is hoped that the first, the Awash National Park, will soon be officially opened by the Emperor. This is in the very rich Awash Valley to the east of Addis Ababa, where a wide range of animals includes greater and lesser kudu, beisa oryx, gerenuk, klipspringer, leopard, lion, cheetah, a few Swayne's hartebeest, now on the verge of extinction, and many birds. Two other proposed national parks, in the Siinien Mountains and the Bale Mountains, will protect Ethiopia's four endemic mammals, the rare walia ibex, the Simien fox, gelada baboon and the mountain nyala. A map of Ethiopia is on pages 284–5

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The Wildlife of Ethiopia

In 1981 the Government of Burma, conscious that it should be doing more to conserve its natural resources, invited the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Development Programme of the United Nations to assist in a project to identify areas suitable for national parks and reserves The Minister of Agriculture and Forests has already decided to establish one of the proposed parks, Alaungdaw Kathapa, and it is hoped that the rest will follow The author was in charge of the project for its three-year duration

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/D511721F3B5E56CDC5305AF228A7847B/S0030605300019773a.pdf/div-class-title-conservation-priorities-in-burma-div.pdf

Conservation priorities in Burma

In about 500 b.c. the Carthaginian navigator Hanno brought back the first reports of the existence of gorillas in the forests of West Africa. They were doubtless known also to the early Portuguese and other voyagers along the Guinea coast and in 1590, Battel, who called them “pongos” to distinguish them from the smaller “engeco” or chimpanzee, described them with fair accuracy:—“exactly proportioned like a man, but he is more like a giant in stature for he is very tall and hath a man's face, hollow eyed, with long hair upon his brows…they sleep in the trees and build shelters from the rain. They feed upon fruit that they find in the woods and upon nuts for they eat no kind of flesh.”

The Mountain Gorilla and its Habitat in the Birunga Volcanoes

Sixty square miles of the Simien Mountains, home of two of Ethiopia's most seriously endangered wild mammals, the walla ibex and Simien fox, both endemics, has at last been declared a national park. The author, who was Wildlife Adviser to the Ethiopian Government from 1965-70 (he has just gone in a similar capacity to Nepal) has worked unceasingly to achieve this as well as other parks and reserves to protect Ethiopia's still remarkably rich wildlife. This is the second national park to be gazetted in Ethiopia; the Awash park, which the FPS African tour visited in February this year, was declared early in 1968.

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John Blower

Papers

The Wildlife of Ethiopia

Conservation priorities in Burma

The Mountain Gorilla and its Habitat in the Birunga Volcanoes

The Simien—Ethiopia's new National Park

Rhinos—and other Problems—in Nepal