Simien National Park - Ethiopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Simien National Park - Ethiopia - Essay Example At the end of the paper the possible losses, recommendation and conclusion is covered. The Simien National Park is a Natural World Heritage Site. It has been added to the list of World Heritage in Danger in 1996. There were two main reasons of adding this site to the list i.e. heavy settlement and Walia ibex population decline. It is spread over the area of 13,600ha. â€Å"In northern Ethiopia on the Amhara plateau in the western Simen Mountains, 120km north-east of Gondar. Location: 13 ° 11N, 38 ° 04E. The town of Adi Arkay lies to the north, Debark, on the Gondar-Asmara highway, to the south-west and Deresge to the south east.† (The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Website) The park has jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and precipices. This park has approximately five to ten species of endemism, seasonal Highland biome and four different types of floral vegetation due to geographic variations. The four different floristic vegetations are as follows: Afromontane forest has variety of flora and fauna. The two wet seasons of this park and its typical geographic characteristics adds to the variety of plants and vegetations. Xeromorphic adaptations are common on the high attitudes. Rare species like Walia ibex, Gelada Baboon, Simien wolf and various other species of animals and birds are natural habitants of this park. There are twenty-one species of mammals recorded for this region. Seven species of mammals are listed as endemic species. There are sixty-three species of birds including twelve endemic species. This National Park is not only important for its biodiversity, but also important for its cultural heritage. According to Hurni (1986 as cited on UNEP Website)This region has various features of 18th and 19th centuries. Kirwan (1972 as cited on UNEP Website) claims that cultivators for at least of two thousand years have inhabited Simien region. Population living within the National Park is highly depended on its natural resources.