Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme

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.

© EWCP 2005 - A WildCRU endeavour in parternishp with Ethiopia's Wildlife Conservation Department and Regional Governments.
Chiefly funded by Born Free. Under the aegis of IUCN/SCC Canid Specialist Group.

Education activities
• 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

Bale Workshop - In 1999, people from across wolf ranges in Ethiopia, the EWCP team, and advisers gathered in Bale to discuss Ethiopian wolf and Afroalpine conservation. This meeting followed extensive surveys by EWCP to remote Afroalpine ranges, and strenghtened a network that faciliated the subsequent expansion of the programme to the Northern highlands.

. Wolf Day at Dinsho: a day of sports and celebrations

NEW! EWCP newsletter
Produced by the EWCP Education team to inform people living in Bale of the project and its activities (edited by Zegeye Kibrit, Education Officer)

July-September 2005 (450KB)
October-December 2005 (500KB)
June-July 2006 (600KB)
October-November 2006 (1MB)
March 2007 (750KB)

NEW! 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.

High school students in the Digelu Environmental Club in the Arsi Mountains

Tree planting initiative in Digelu High School, Arsi.

NEW! 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.