Background
The Simen Mountains National Park/ SMNP is an exciting place with unique wildlife and breathtaking views on a landscape shaped by nature and traditional agriculture. The natural beauties of this region have always attracted visitors from Ethiopia and abroad to file in. Gentle highland ridges at altitude of above 3600masl ending abruptly at 1000-2000m deep escarpments are the most impressive feature of Simen. The margins of this high plateau consist of precipitous cliffs and deep canyon – style gorges. In some places, the escarpment forms small elevations that offer splendid natural lookout points. The spectacular view from ‘Emetgogo’ and ‘Gider got’, for instance, offer unparalleled panoramas along the high plateau and down to the lowland areas. Under good weather conditions, views reaching up to a hundred km over the valleys and the terraces of the Tekeze lowland basin are no exception. Added to these, the flora and fauna, with their endemic species, and the presence of several birds of prey have made the area to have outstanding universal values.
The Simen Mountains National Park/ SMNP is located at the northern edge of the central plateau of Ethiopia, particularly in the North Gondar Zone of Amhara region, about 123 km from Gondar town and about 885km from Addis. Covering a total area of 232km2, the park lies geographically between 130 9′N latitude and 380 15′ E longitude. From the tourism point of view, it is situated with in the center of a triangle of important historic sites of the country, namely: Axum, Gondar & Lalibela.
The SMNP was first established as a national park in 1966 and legally gazetted in 1969 by Negarit Gazeta, Order No.59. In 1983 boundary changes were made into effect to exclude some cultivated lands and include Bwahit. Due to its ‘outstanding universal values’ (i.e. unique landscape, the rich biodiversity and the presence of endemic species of Walia Ibex), UNESCO inscribed the park on the list of World Natural Heritage Sites in 1978.
Parks Development and Protection Authority
Until 2003, the task of coordinating the conservation of protected areas/national parks was under the responsibility of the former Bureau of Agriculture. In recognition of the poor management of protected areas/national parks, due to lack of adequate attention from the coordinating sector, the regional government established PaDPA as an autonomous regional authority under Proclamation NO 96/2003. Since then, the task of administering protected areas, such as Simen Mountains National Park, has been given to PaDPA. In addition to the over all responsibility of biodiversity conservation, PaDPA initiates development of tourism infrastructures, provide permission for tourists to carry out filming and research activities, evaluate and grant certificates for business enterprises engaged to wild animals and their products.
Objectives
To create favourable conditions to develop and conserve the region’s parks and similar wild animal sanctuaries as well as plant species so as to hand them over to the posterity, and in return to enable the parks to yield economic benefits to the residing communities.
Major duties and Responsibilities
- Delineate, keep in a list and administer the region wide parks, wild animals and protected sanctuaries of birds, which will be brought under its responsibilities including the Simien Mountains National Park.
- Establish parks and protected areas in different parts that represent the region’s biodiversity and ecosystem and develop and pass over to the posterity in accordance with the international conventions and protocols the country has signed.
- Render special care for wild animal species that are endangered and endemic to the country.
- Design strategies to provide the communities with full awareness of the very purpose of wild animal conservation, development and utilization as well as suitable methods for making use of such resources so as to gain participation of the communities in conservation.
- Formulate strategy of resettlements for those people, who inhabit within the core area of wild animals (game reserve) by involving communities in such procedure to invent shared solutions.
- Initiate and when necessary invent favourable grounds for the development of tourism infrastructure such as: trekking routes to view points, lodges, camps etc. through the participation of communities and private sectors.
- In collaboration with the concerned bodies, take the necessary measures to prevent and control epidemic diseases as well as disasters affecting wild animals in their natural habitat.
- Prepare regulations and directives related to the development and utilization of wild animals and birds, parks and reserve areas in a manner that will not compromise their sustainable existence and thereby implement same upon approval.
- Grant those business enterprises and individuals that engage themselves in trading wild animals and their products with a certificate upon evaluation of their competence and thereby follow up the implementation of same.
- Undertake scientific researches with regard to wild animals and birds as well as their natural habitats; create conducive condition for the undertaking of same by others and thereby implement results of the research.
Staff
The number of staff working in the park office reaches 58. It includes one warden, 6 experts (based at Debark), 28 park patrols, 7 wildlife scouts, and 16 supporting staff.
