Human Settlements and Livestock Impacts on Habitats of Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) in Bale Mountain National Park, Oromia region, Southeast Ethiopia

Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) is one of the endemic and endangered wild animals that
founds in the confined Afro-alpine areas of Bale mountain national Park. In recent years their
population is contentiously decreasing and some are left in Bale Mountains and only few are left
in Arsi Mountains. Furthermore, its habitat is poorly understood and makes the conservation
activities more difficult. The current study was taken place in Dinsho District at Hora-Soba and
Gojera specified sites of Mountain Nyala in Bale Mountains National Park. The objectives of the
study were to understand to what extent human settlements and livestock impact on population of
Mountain Nyala in Bale Mountains National Park. All detailed information of human settlement
and magnitude of livestock grazing on the food availability of Mountain Nyala were collected
through semi-structured, focus group discussion and stratified random sampling.The sample size
153 and descriptive statistics was employed to analyze the data. Results showed that 76% of
households living in and around the Park earned direct benefit from the Park through livestock
grazing 43%, farmland 31%, construction materials 18% and firewood collection 8% that
impacted the habitats of Mountain Nyala. The livelihood benefits of the local community linked to
the Bale Mountains National Park that highly affected the National Park is farmland holding
inside the National Park by the Villages. A total of twenty four plants species were identified and
recorded in the study area and most of them were over exploited by farmers. The results of the
study also showed that farmers in Gojera and Hora-Sobba sites of Dinsho District encroached to
the territories of the Park with their herds of cattle that might affect the habitat of Mountain
Nyala. Hence the number of Mountain Nyala is extremely getting decreasing from time to time.
Thus raising awareness among the society and finding alternative ways of income generating
activities for the farmers should be considered