Discussion with local leaders & task forces.

Maze National Park is one of the Wildlife Protected Areas of the country established in 2005 at Southern Ethiopia. The park is established for the conservation of endemic Swayne’s hartebeest’s population. It is also home for different locally, regionally and globally threatened wildlife species that have national and global conservation attentions. Although the park is rich in birds and mammals diversity, its establishment was not based on full recognition of local communities’ participation. Moreover, hence the surrounding communities are found in the remote area, their awareness about biodiversity, wildlife and nature conservation is so low and they perceive the park as a foreign body which restricts their access to the forest and natural resources. So the increasing frenzied activities of the surrounding community have imposed tremendous stress both to the wild lives supposed to be protected and to the habitat. Therefore, the habitats and wild lives in the Park are under conservation problems. Poaching, firing, hunting, fire wood collection, grazing and encroachment into the park are some of major prevailing conservation problems in the Park.

Discussion with local leaders and task forces.

This project will play a pioneer and landmark role in bringing a common understanding and consensus among the local communities, other stakeholders, and park administration system. The project will play a leading role in mobilizing and raising local community’s awareness about the importance of protecting the precious Swayne’s Hartebeest and other inhabitants and nature conservation at large and build trust in the community drive their active participation and empower them endorsing the park as their own belongings and benefits. To that end the project primarily focus on the local formal and non formal institution leaders raising their awareness, active participation and empowering them to sustainably endorse the Parks protection, management and conservation activities as one of its responsibility and work harmoniously together with the park administration system. The project also intend to work with the surrounding governmental organizations like Administrative bodies, bureau of Agriculture, Education, etc… in raising community’s awareness for sustainable behavioural change amongst the community leaders and in the whole community at large.

Discussion with task forces & leaders.