State of Conservation (SOC)

Requests Approved: 0 (from1978-2005)
Total Amount Ap proved: 263,171USD

UNESCO mission in 1996, IUCN/UNESCO mission in 2001.

Encroachment; increasing human population within the park; declining populations of Walia ibex and Simien Fox; deforestation and soil deterioration.

A report was received from the State Party, dated 25 January 2005. The report provides details on the progress made in relation to the four benchmarks set by the Committee at its 25th session (Helsinki, 2001) for removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger:

a) The realignment of the Park’s boundary to exclude the villages along the boundary was undertaken in 2003 and 2004. The demarcation of the boundary through the installation of permanent beacons, the production of a detailed map of the boundaries as well as the legal gazetting are planned to be carried out in 2005;

b) Mesarerya and Lemalino Wildlife Reserves have been integrated within the park and their mapping and re-gazetting is to be finalized in 2005;

c) The report states that as a result of concerted efforts of the Regional Government and all other stakeholders, the population of Walia ibex has more than doubled in the last ten years and is currently estimated at least 500 animals whilst the population of Simien Fox increased to 53 individuals. The report stresses that the Walia ibex population estimate was established through an independent survey conducted by the Centre for Development and Environment of the University of Bern, Switzerland, in cooperation with the Amhara Region Agricultural Research Institute. However, the Canid specialist group of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission (SSC) has raised concerns over the reported numbers of Simien Fox and questions whether these are the result of an increase in population or improvements in methodologies of counting. IUCN is currently reviewing the methodologies used in assessing the population status of the two animal species through its SSC network and will report to the Committee at the next session;

d) The State Party reports that no progress was made with regard to the significant reduction of the human population within the park requested by the Committee, despite efforts to enrol the villagers in a voluntary resettlement programme and that villagers are unwilling to resettle in the lowland, where land is available. It is proposed that employment opportunities are created outside the park for the majority of the people, providing non farm income and that options are identified for those remaining in the park to ensure that no damage is done to the ecosystem.

Although considerable progress was made towards achieving the first three benchmarks set by the Committee, little progress was made on the issue of the human population within the property. The World Heritage Centre has received a request for Technical Cooperation from the Amhara National Regional State with the objective to develop an alternative livelihood strategy as a first step to find other ways to address this issue. At the time of the preparation of this document, additional details on the budget breakdown were requested from the State Party.

The State Party’s report further noted thatefforts are underway to re-align some portions of the Debark-Mekane Birhan rural roadto minimize negative impacts. Even though re-alignment of the road is still pending, strict road-impact mitigation measures are reported to have been carried out by the Park office and the Austrian Government-Supported Project in collaboration with Woreda and Kebele-level stakeholders. Efforts are also underway to encourage sustainable development in the buffer zone and areas around the park, as the prevailing poverty seems to be one of the main reasons for the pressure on the park resources. Activities on agricultural intensification, soil conservation, reforestation, livestock development in order to combat overgrazing, community based tourism development and the enhancement of the capacities of community institutions are implemented in the area mainly through the Ethiopian–Austrian integrated development project. The project also has supported the development of park infrastructure and has supplied equipment to the park staff.

Recent proposals to develop a tourist lodge in a potentially sensitive area at the border of the park have been brought to the attention of IUCN. It is informed that the authorities have chosen a site where water availability is low and is likely to impact further on an area that is already ecologically fragile. IUCN recommends that an environmental impact assessment should be undertaken to assess if such development is appropriate, what potential impacts it could have on the World Heritage property and if other options may exist.