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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The Anferara forests are around Negele–Borena, 310 km south-east of Awassa and 470 km from Addis Ababa, in Borena Zone. This area encompasses the Anferara–Wadera forest and the adjacent Bore–Anferara forest which together represent the majority of the high-elevation forest in southern Ethiopia. These forests are on the highlands between two big river systems: the Genale to the east and the Awata (a major tributary of the Dawa river) on the west. The topography is rugged and broken, with many hills and ridges making it unsuitable for agriculture. However, the Kebre Mengist–Bogol Manyo (in the Genale river basin) road crosses the area. The forests are not uniform. In the north, towards Agere Selam and Kebre Mengist, the largest tree is
Podocarpus falcatus, growing with a range of broadleaved species such as
Croton macrostachyus,
Hagenia abyssinica,
Ilex mitis,
Olea capensis,
Schefflera abyssinica and
Syzygium guineese afromontanum. Further south, where the rainfall is higher,
Aningeria adolfi-friderici is found; this is the tallest and most important tree of these forests. The canopy below comprises
Albizia gummifera and other
Albizia spp.,
Celtis africana,
Ekbergia capensis,
Fagaropsis angolensis,
Ocotea kenyensis,
Olea capensis,
Phoenix reclinata,
Polyscias fulva and
Prunus africana. There are also many smaller trees and shrubs making this wet forest floristically rich. Near Negele the vegetation is dry montane forest that used to be dominated by
Juniperus procera, although this has nearly all been cut leaving scrub and a few trees of other species, primarily
Barbeya oleoides,
Catha edulis,
Olea europaea cuspidata,
Pistacia aethiopica,
Pittosporum spp. and
Schrebera alata. The forest here is very open, verging on woodland or scrub. All the forested areas are fringed with woodlands that are described under the Liben plains and Negele woodlands (site ET062).
See Box and Table 2 for key species. The northern distribution of
Tauraco ruspolii encompasses parts of both Anferara–Wadera forest and the adjacent Bore–Anferara forest. Together, these forests are thought to hold the majority of the species’ population.
Tauraco ruspolii appears to be a forest margin and woodland species typically occurring between 1,400 and 1,850 m. Most observations were close to 1,500 m, where its preferred habitats are forest margins and woodlands as well as
Juniperus. Other species of note are
Serinus xantholaema (very uncommon) and
Emberiza affinis.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The Anferara forests are both designated as National Forest Priority Areas (NFPA). However, this does not mean that the area is conserved. An NFPA is defined as an area from where local people and their animals should be excluded, and neither has been practical in this case. The Anferara forests are currently one of the main sources for timber of
Aningeria adolfi-friderici and
Podocarpus gracilior, which are being harvested with sawmills in the forest. Although some attempts to introduce sustainable harvesting methods have been made on paper, in practice the areas harvested are usually clear-felled, leaving insufficient cover for regeneration of tall forest trees, particularly
Aningeria adolfi-friderici. The primary threat to the area is the rapidly increasing (8.3% per year) human population (16,900 people in 1,600 households during 1990) living within the forest. These people make a living from cutting trees for charcoal, timber or fuel. They also clear the forest for cropland and grazing. Honey production has also proved destructive: large areas of forest have been burnt when fires used to smoke the hives during honey collection burn out of control. Open-cast gold mining poses an additional threat to the ecosystem. A comprehensive land-use plan is urgently needed for both Anferara forests, accommodating the various interests of the local people and the government in the uses of the forest and associated woodlands. As the only protected areas in the country supporting these forest-types (and associated species), there may be significant ecotourism potential for the site, a proposition that may be attractive to the Regional and Zonal Governments.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Anferara forests (Ethiopia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/anferara-forests-iba-ethiopia on 23/12/2024.
