THE PROGRAMME► Community Education
Objective: To involve local communities in the protection of Afroalpine natural resources,
with the development of a conservation education and extension campaign at school and community levels in Bale and
other critical wolf areas.
The EWCP education campaign targets governments, local authorities, farmers and school children within and
surrounding wolf ranges. It aims at increasing awareness of the Ethiopian people, particularly mountain residents,
of the need to conserve the Afroalpine ecosystem, its wildlife, and the natural resources on which their livelihoods
depend such as water, pastures, firewood and building materials. It also seek to reverse adverse conditions for
wildlife due to human persecution and habitat exploitation.
Community education is crucial for the long term conservation of Afroalpine resources and an area where EWCP
plans to expand its activities, seeking partnerships with national NGOs willing to take this forward.
Wolf Day at Dinsho: a day of sports and celebrations
JEEDALA GAZETTE! - A new design for the EWCP newsletter!Produced by the Education team to inform people in Bale of the project activities [editor Zegeye Kibrit]
Jeedala Gazette March 2010 [pdf - 980KB]
Jeedala Gazette July 2009 [pdf 900KB]
Jeedala Gazette January 2009 [pdf 500KB]
Jeedala Gazette April 2008 [pdf 2.4MB]
July-Sepeptember 2005 [pdf 450KB]
October-December 2005 [pdf 500KB]
June-July 2006 [pdf 600KB]
October-November 2006 [pdf 1MB]
March 2007 [pdf 750KB]
• The EWCP Education Team visit local schools and distributes educational materials, reaching over 3,000 children per year
• The team organizes the very popular EWCP annual "Wolf Day"
• In the villages the Education Officers arrange meetings with local people and authorities
• The Education and Community Liaison Officers do house-to-house visits in Bale promoting domestic dog vaccination, good dog husbandry and awareness of the need to protect Ethiopian wolves.
New phase
• An Education Officer to be appointed for North Ethiopia
• Restore Nature Clubs in secondary schools
• Promote links between schools and schools clubs, and National Parks (Bale and Simien)
• Support students and teachers visits to the park
Other extension work
• Nationwide assessment of people's attitudes towards the Afroalpine ecosystem and wildlife
• Guidebook and Trekking Map for the Bale Mountains
• Postcards
• Provision of school materials to Dinsho Primary School
• Provision of seedlings and tree-planting equipment to schools
• The EWCP Veterinary Team also provide services and drugs for treatment of livestock
WOLF STADIUM! - EWCP builds a Community Sports Centre
The Born Free Foundation provided a grant to the community of Dinsho to build the "Wolf Stadium", as a response to an
aspiration of the local community for a sports facility. It will operate as a community resource with local control and
maintenance. Construction is onoging and trees are ready to be planted around the perimeter of the stadium.
Education and Sustainable Development: An innovative programme by the EWCP in the Arsi Mountains.
Environmental Education can play an important role in conservations; changing attitudes can change behaviour. However,
in places like Ethiopia, all too often the pressing needs of survival put environmental considerations into the
background. More land has to be ploughed to feed the family even if the degradation of the habitat is acknowledged.
The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme is trying a new approach to EE in the Arsi Mountains in an attempt to
combine changing attitudes with the practical implementation of projects in sustainable development. The Arsi Mountains
are an important conservation area for the unique highland biota of Ethiopia. The area supports at least 11 mammals
endemic to Ethiopia including the Ethiopian wolf and the mountain nyala.
In 2006 EWCP set up or invigorated Environmental Education clubs in 13 high schools and four colleges that lie around
the conservation area. In addition to tradition a education (and camping trips to see the wildlife), each club will
sponsor projects in sustainable development. Last year giant pumpkin seeds were distributed to see if they would be a
suitable crop; all schools have a programme of tree planting and there are many other possibilities such as erosion
control measures, other potential crops such as apple trees and fuel efficient stoves.
The hope is that the projects in the schools will act a wedge for their implementation in the communities.
