Establishing Protected Areas for Elephants in Eritrea

Establishing Protected Areas for Elephants: A Timely Responsibility
By Mansour Nouredin
Jun 1, 2009, 11:49am

Elephants in Eritrea are the most northerly distributed population of the African Elephant species and their importance in the scientific domain is great, says Mr. Hagos Yohannes Head of Technical Advisory Unit and Wildlife Conservation Biologist at the Ministry of Agriculture.

There are two species of Elephants in the world: African elephant (Loxodonta africana), the largest living land animal and the Indian or Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). The Indian elephant is native to the Indian subcontinent and southeastern Asia, while the African elephant is found in sub-Saharan Africa. Both species live in habitats ranging from thick jungle to savanna.

In Eritrea, elephants are mostly seen in areas like Antore, along the Setit River and the riverine areas of Gash River from Augaro to Haykota. Prior to independence, due to the armed struggle and natural causes, they migrated to neighboring countries. After the liberation of the country, they returned home and currently their number is believed to be around 150.
The Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with other stakeholders, is undertaking every possible means to preserve Eritrea's most treasured fauna- elephants. “These efforts include establishing protected areas to conserve them” says Mr. Hagos Yohannes. To date, beside the other two protected areas, The Green Belt (Semenawi Bahri) and Buri Peninsula, chosen to preserve the flora and fauna in their respective area: a sanctuary has been established in Zoba Gash Barka for the preservation of elephants and by extension to other wildlife.

Hence the Wildlife conservation unit at the Ministry has delineated and mapped the elephant route from Augaro to Haykota stretching for about 120 kms using Geographical Positioning System (GPS). By nature, as elephants like wet areas the riverine forests of the Gash River have been their natural choice for long time. Yet, with the expansion of agricultural activities in these embankments and farmer encroachment on elephant’s natural habitat and home ranges arise human-elephant conflict. Such incidents get worse when the elephants raid farmer's crops to supplement their diets by entering farmlands.

To mitigate this phenomenon many techniques might be adopted says Mr. Hagos. “Establishment of sanctuaries and Elephant corridors, habitat enrichment, electric fencing, and integrating elephant conservation with economic development could be some of them.”

The Eritrean government issued Forestry and Wildlife Conservation and Development Proclamation in 2006. This Proclamation is believed to ascertain the existence and sustainable utilization of these natural resources in Eritrea. Yet, as the bulk of our society depends on biomass energy from the forests and woodlands- the safe haven of the said wildlife, alternative energy should be encouraged to insure safety and sustainable use of them.

According to the management plan being drafted by the conservation unit, the Gash river banks should remain free from human interference. The farmers should be relocated to other areas for a dual advantage: primarily as the river bank has been prone to over utilization, the river width continues to extend reaching from 300 up to 400 meters at some places thus threaten the area as overflowing of the flood might happen. Secondly, should the Gash River bank left untouched, it would preserve the flora and fauna that eventually help in stabilizing the ecosystem in the area.

The success of the program depends on the active participation of the community, says Mr. Hagos. To that end, the Zonal administration is actively organizing awareness campaign, he added. “Economic activities that enable the local communities to derive tangible benefits from the presence of elephants in their neighborhood should be implemented. This would further encourage the community to take the responsibility and be part of the conservation endeavors.”

Elephants are keystone species: Their presence in a given area contributes to a diversity of life and their extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other forms of life. Hence, their presence determines the flora and fauna in the area.

Besides, their existence in the area benefit the country in many aspects, says Mr. Hagos. For many years, wild animals apart from being country’s treasures, they have been taken as major income generators in Africa’s tourism industry. To mention but two, Tanzania and Kenya are major destination for wildlife attractions in Africa. However, mass tourism has got its adverse effects in terms of environmental, social, cultural and habitat degradation. “As a country, we can’t afford to take that route,” says Mr. Hagos. We should promote eco friendly tourism - ecotourism. And the untapped ecosystem, pristine seashores, archeological and recent historical sites, cultural and social parameters can make Eritrea unique and “must-to-be visited” country in the tourism industry, he added.

The number of elephant population continentally and globally has been dwindling. The bottom line for the decline, among others, is conflicts and poaching, the illegal hunting of the elephants for their ivory. The wildlife conservation proclamation issued in 2006 calls for stiff measures to be taken in case of illegal actions. Unlike to many other African countries, poaching is not common in Eritrea thanks to the people’s eco-friendly attitude toward its natural resources says Mr. Hagos.
In some European markets elephant’s ivory is worth 100 US dollars per kilo. This significantly reduced the population of African elephants. A drastic fall of the elephants in eastern part of Chad can be taken as a case. In 1970th the number of elephant in the region was estimated to be 400,000. According to 2006 statistics, after decades due to poaching and other factors the number dwindled to about 10,000. The National Geography Society website on its December 2008 publication, citing a report by conservationists who surveyed the Zakouma National Park, reported that the prevailing poaching rate in the area threaten the existence of elephant population in the country. Wildlife Conservation Society biologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence J. Michael Fay says “that poaching has intensified in and around Zakouma since 2005 due, in part, to the increased acceptability of and access to the global ivory trade.”
Other wildlife resources

Eritrea has one of the rarest wildlife species in the world to mention but a few Nubian Ibex and African wild Ass. African wild Ass found in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. In Eritrea, their number is stable and it’s likely to rise. This is due to the Afari ethnic group eco-friendly attitude toward the environment, elaborated Mr.

Hagos. “In our tradition, as flora and fauna are nature’s endowment it’s a taboo to kill a wild animal or damage plants. They should remain intact,” concurs Mohammed Idris, a journalist at the Afari language section of Dimtsi Hafash Ertra, (Voice of the broad masses.)
Due to the political instability and poaching, the number of African wild ass is decreasing in the later two countries, noted Mr. Hagos. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and largest environmental network, citing evidences, the African wild asses in Somalia declined by 50% in the 1980s. Large declines in the wild asses within Ethiopia have been documented as well. The report further says Eritrea has a small but stable African wild ass population. The major threats to the survival of the African wild ass are: hunting the wild ass for food and medicinal purposes, potential competition with livestock for forage and water, and interbreeding with the domestic donkey.

The increment of Ostriches is also encouraging. The footage in the State media that show the Ostriches in the seashores of the Red Sea, during the official visit of the Libyan Leader, Brother Muamer Gadafi to Eritrea attest that, adds Mr. Hagos.

Covering about 80.000 hectares, Semenawi Bahri National Park (the Green Belt) is hailed as the well preserved forest in Eritrea. It can be taken as a representative sample for what Eritrea looked like centuries ago, says Mr. Hagos.

Semenawi Bahri, stretched from the escarpments of Weki to Asmara-Massawa road is unique for its richness and diversity of its vegetation, aves and wildlife. Beside the majestic scenery and ever green area, it has been perfect place for wild animals’ settlement. Baboons, bushbuck, duiker, leopards, hyenas, klipspringer, warthog and number of bird species with some endemics have been ascertained recently. Thanks to the Eritrean Defense Forces, fascinating road network was built in the escarpments and access to the area is assured. Its rich bio-diversity still continues to “WOW” the citizens and tourists alike.
With a proper and sustained implementation of the management plan, the protected areas could sustain the existence of the significant fauna and flora resources to the coming generations, Mr. Hagos concludes.

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