ASSESSMENT OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES AND ITS CHALLENGES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMNP IN THE CASE OF DEBARK WOREDA, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

In Ethiopia, conservation practices, and challenges of national park was studied by many researchers, but there is limited information about conservation practices and its challenges on the development of Semien Mountains National Park in Debark Woreda. The aim of this study was to assess conservation practices and its challenges on the development of Semien Mountains National Park, to assess the conservation practices under taken in Semien Mountains National Park, to investigate the main challenges facing Semien Mountains National Park, to examine the socio- economic importance of Semein Mountains National Park. This research was made using both qualitative and quantitative (mixed) approaches. The three rural Kebeles were selected from Debark Woreda by lottery method. And 120 respondents were selected by using systematic random sampling to collect data using questionnaire. The primary data were collected through household survey, key informant interview, field observation and focus group discussion. Further the study was supplemented by secondary information collected from various published and unpublished sources. Data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, pie-chart, bar graph and inferential statistical techniques (chis-square, binary logistic regression model). The result shows, planting of trees, including significant areas to the park were some of the conservation practices taken on SMNP. The most and significant challenges that threat the Semien Mountains National Park were human encroachment, lack of awareness, government policy, lack of finance, human power, farm land expansion, overgrazing, wild fire, illegal hunting and power transmission. The local community in the study areas benefited from the national park in the form of water supply, source of fuel wood, grazing and cultivation of land, income generating from tourism as guider and cooker as well as mule rent. However, the benefit of Semien Mountains National Park in terms of getting foreign currency, source of income are below the expected.