The Council of Ministers is considering seven draft regulations that specify the boundaries and areas of national parks that are drafted by the Wildlife Development & Conservation Authority (WDCA).
The Federal government currently administers 11 national parks following the retaking of nine from regional states based on a law that was enacted five years ago; the current draft regulations, one for each of seven parks, are prepared based on this law.
Gambella National Park, the largest of the seven, is indicated in the bill as having an area of 4,575SqKm; the bill also specifies the boundary of this expanse. Senkele Sanctuary, found in Oromia and Southern Regions, is the smallest with a total area of 54SqKm – this small sanctuary is created to protect Swayne’s hartebeest, the last of which are believed to live in this area.
The Authority has also prepared bills that define the boundaries and area of Kafta Sheraro National Park, 2,176KmSq, in Tigary region, Semen Mountains, 412KmSq, and Alitash, 2,665KmSq, national parks both in Amhara region as well as Bale Mountains National Park, 2,150KmSq in Oromia, according to Kumera Wakjira, National Parks Coordination Department head with the WDCA.
Other parks which are retaken by the federal government also include Omo National Park, Nech Sar National Park and Abiyata Shala National Park, the designation and delimitation of whose boundaries is yet to be prepared.
In addition to specifically defining the boundaries and areas of the parks, the bills also states that the development, administration and protection of the parks, will be carried out through offices of the authority at each park.
“The regulation has devised a new management plan for the administration of the parks in addition to preparing their maps,” Kumera says.
The authority organizes offices for each of the parks at their location through which it develops, administers and protects the parks from illegal acts, according to the bills. There will also be an advisory committee that will be chaired by the chief administrators of the parks’ neighbouring weredas; other members include representatives of heads of Culture & Tourism Offices of the park’s neighbouring weredas, heads of the neighbouring kebele administrations as well as representatives of tour operators, youth and women associations and community elders. The head office of the parks will also serve as a secretary of the committee.
The committee has the power to review the annual plans and performance reports of the office of the park before its submission to the authority in addition to advising the office on the enhancement of the contribution of the local community in the management and conservation of the park.
The bills will also enforce a set of punishments for trespasses into park territories and damages to “wildlife or wildlife resources.”
The Authority has raised revenue amount of over 63 million Br in the fiscal year of 2013/14 from the national parks under its administration, according to Zerihun Zewude, Public Relations & Information head at the Authority. This was generated by visits from 45,943 foreign tourists and 36,976 domestic tourists as well as fee from researchers and products from the wild life, he said.
It has earned four million Birr in the same year from fines for tress pass in to the boundaries of the Kafta Shiraro national park by cattle farmers, sesame farmers and gold miners, according to Zerihun; the money was transferred to the Woreda.
The punishments included the confiscation of 21,271 cattle and gold mining equipment found within the part and 726qt sesame grown there, according to a report by the authority.
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