People and Parks in Ethiopia

Nechisar National Park (NNP) is one of the earlier nine National Parks found in Ethiopia. The Park was established with the prime objective of safeguarding the endemic animals (like Swayne's hartebeest), Burchell's zebra and different bird species. NNP got the status of National Park in 1974, since then the park has not legally been gazetted but functioned as de facto national park. The main objective of this book is to assess the main causes affecting the ecosystem goods and services in Nechisar National Park with the main focus on livelihood practices of the local communities. In doing this assessment, the book specifically investigates the conflict that arises among local communities regarding to the ownership questions and between/among the Regional states and Federal government over the responsibility of managing the Park. The book also addresses the extent to which the management approach of National Parks exercised by the Ethiopian Government goes in line with sustainable development.