Arsi Mountains National Park

Arsi Mountains National Park is a national park in Arsi Zone of Oromia Region in Ethiopia. It protects a portion of the Ethiopian Highlands, and includes montane forests, subalpine heath, and alpine grasslands and shrublands. The park was designated in 2011, and covers an area of 10876 km2.[1]

Arsi Mountains National Park
Location in Ethiopia
LocationArsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Coordinates7°55′53″N 39°12′26″E
Area10,876 km2 (4,199 sq mi)
Established2011
Governing bodyOromia Forest & Wildlife Enterprise (OFWA)

Geography

The park encompasses the Arsi Mountains, which are part of the Ethiopian Highlands. The mountains extend northeast to southwest through the park, and form the southern wall of the African Rift Valley. Mountains in the park include Dera Dilfaqar, Mount Chilalo (4036 m), the Galama Mountains, Mount Kaka, and Hunkolo.[2] The volcanic caldera of Mount Chilalo is the highest point in the park.

Mountain rainfall sustains numerous streams and alpine lakes. The northern slopes drain towards the Awash River, while the southern slopes are drained by headwater streams of the Shebelle River.

Bale Mountains National Park lies south of the Arsi Mountains. The upper valley of the Shebelle River separates the Arsi Mountains from the Bale Mountains.

Flora and fauna

There are three main vegetation zones in the park, generally defined by altitude. Dry evergreen Afromontane forests predominate on the lower slopes, from 2843 to 3756 meters elevation. The dry evergreen forests are interspersed with areas of mixed plantations of native and exotic trees between 3181 and 3340 meters elevation.[2]

Subalpine vegetation, mostly heath shrubland dominated by the shrubs Erica arborea and Erica trimera, occurs above the tree line, from 3202 to 3985 meters elevation.[2]

Afro-alpine vegetation occurs at the highest elevations, from 3576 to 4008 meters. It made up mostly of grasses, herbs, shrubs, including species of Helichrysum and Alchemilla, interspersed with stands of the giant lobelia Lobelia rhynchopetalum, which is endemic to the Afro-alpine Ethiopian Highlands.[2]

Wildlife in the park includes the endangered mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni)[2] and Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis).[3] The park is home to several rare and limited-range highland rodents, including the Ethiopian striped mouse (Mus imberbis), Nikolaus's mouse (Megadendromus nikolausi), black-clawed brush-furred rat (Lophuromys melanonyx), and Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat (Lophuromys chrysopus).[4]

Conservation and threats

Threats to the park include excessive livestock grazing, human-caused fires, and wood collection.[2]

References
  1. UNEP-WCMC (2022). Protected Area Profile for Arsi Mountains from the World Database of Protected Areas. Accessed 28 February 2022.
  2. Zerihun Girma, George Chuyong, Paul Evangelista, and Yosef Mamo "Vascular Plant Species Composition, Relative Abundance, Distribution, and Threats in Arsi Mountains National Park, Ethiopia," Mountain Research and Development 38(2), 143-152, (1 May 2018).
  3. Marino, J. & Sillero-Zubiri, C. 2011. Canis simensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T3748A10051312. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T3748A10051312.en. Accessed on 28 February 2022.
  4. Kostin, Danila & Geda, Mohammed & Komarova, Valeria & Martynov, Aleksey & Gromov, Anton & Alexandrov, Dmitry & Bekele, Afework & Zewdie, Chemere & Bryja, Josef & Lavrenchenko, Leonid. (2018). Taxonomic and genetic diversity of rodents from the Arsi Mountains (Ethiopia). Mammalia. 83. 10.1515/mammalia-2017-0135.
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