Birds of fragmented woodlands adjacent to protected areas, significance for conservation in Ethiopia

Abstract

Avifauna studies and conservation efforts in Africa have focused on protected areas. Habitats outside of protected areas also support a variety of bird species. A survey of avian diversity was conducted in northern Ethiopia in three fragmented woodland areas dominated by human activities, adjacent to Important Bird Areas. Overall, 85 bird species belonging to 32 families were sighted in the three localities, including five species endemic to Ethiopia and eight Afrotropical highland biome species. Such diverse bird assemblages in the localities show the significance of habitats outside of protected areas for future avian research and conservation in Ethiopia. These habitats need to be protected.

Keywords:

• Birds
• Unprotected woodlands
• Conservation
• Ethiopia

Acknowledgements

We thank the Department of Biology and College of Natural and Computational Sciences of Mekelle University for financial support and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Project (NORAD) for provision of a vehicle for the field work. We would also like to thank the local people and local government offices for allowing the survey and for useful discussions. Thanks also to Professor Wolfgang Pittroff and the anonymous reviewer.