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The Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society organises annual census of
waterfowl that assists in monitoring the numbers of birds as well the wetlands
they live in. The Environmental Protection Authority has recently completed an
inventory of major Ethiopian wetlands with a report pending publication.
Wetlands are areas that are characterised by the presence of water and
land at the same time.
The edges of deep lakes and large rivers are considered as wetlands, if
they contain rooted vegetation. The vegetation can be either submerged or
emergent and the level of the water should not be more than six meters.
Wetlands also include areas with seasonal flooding where the ground could
be exposed for some time.
Wetland Values
Flood Control
Groundwater Replenishment
Storm Protection
Sediment and Nutrient Retention
Climate Change Mitigation
Water Purification
Wetland Products
Recreation/Tourism
Cultural Value
Reservoirs of Biodiversity
Reservoirs of Biodiversity
Freshwater ecosystems cover only 1% of the earth’s surface but hold more
than 40% of the world’s species and 12% of all animal species.
Coral Reefs in marine ecosystems are biologically diverse and they rival tropical
rainforests. Coral Reefs cover only 0.2% of the ocean floor but contain 25%
of all marine species.
Wetlands and the biodiversity they harbour are not well known in Ethiopia.
Most of the current studies are largely listings and monitoring work. Little
work has been done on long-term ecological work for the groups.
What is a Waterbird?
Africa has a total of 492 waterbird species, which make up for 22% of all
species. Africa has a total of about 2236 species of birds.
Ethiopia has a total of at least 212 waterbird species. This is 43% of the
total for Africa (492 species).
Eighty-eight of the 212 species are migrants from the north. The rest 124
species are resident with a few other African migrants.
Annual waterbird counts regularly record 128-130 species out of the 212
species.
Waterbirds are associated with all sorts of wetland habitats including small
seasonal pools and grassland inundation.
Amongst 23 sites that are annually censused, Lake Awassa is relatively the
richest in diversity (74 species) and total number of waterbirds (12 000 –
12 500).
Abijatta has highest number of birds (30 000 – 30 500) with fewer species
(about 46 species) than Awassa.
While wetlands can be found across the breadth of the country (especially
represented by riverine systems) significant wetland resources are found in
the Southwest, Western, Northern and Rift Valley areas of the country.
Urban and Brown (1971), have classified bird habitats in Ethiopia into 5
types. They are Montane, Forest, Grassland and Savannahs, Arid and
Aquatic habitats.
Importance of Waterbirds
Some species can show trends and therefore act as bioindicators or early
warning systems.
Regular and consistent monitoring will show changes that can be countered
with proper measures in time.
Information collected can show us some kind of trend but not enough to
describe population estimates and overall trends at a national level.