Browsing by Author "Timer Girma"

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    Diversity, Abundance, Distribution and Habitat Association of large Mammals in Chebera Churchura National Park , Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2005-06) Timer Girma; Mebrate Asscfa (PhD)
    This study attempted to investigate diversity, abundance, distribution and habitat association of mammalian fauna of Chebera Churchura National Park (CCNP). Representative samples of each vegetation types were surveyed using the transect method. Four habitat types were identified (riverine forest , montane forest, woodland and grassland with scattered trees). A total of 37 mammalian species were recorded. The park harbours a number of larger mammals such as the African elephant, African Buffaloe, and Hippopotamus but are now under various levels of threat in many parts of their former range in Ethiopia. The 37 species of mammals were observed in different combination and vegetation types. The majority of the species are, however, localized with low levels of abundance. The highest mammalian diversity was recorded in the Riverine * forest habitat . The park is comparable to the very well known protected wildlife areas of the country in terms of its mammalian faunal diversity. A few species that were rare or absent in the Riverine forest habitat were recorded in abundance in the other three habitat types (montane forest , grassland with scattered trees and Woodland habitats). The distribution of different species of mammals suggests that the entire Chebera Churchura National Park is critical for efficient mammalian fauna conservation. The species that were recorded in low levels of abundance are probably declining and ecological investigations need to be conducted in order to understand the factors that influence their decline. Key words: Mammals, diversity, relative abundance, contact frequencies, Chebera Churchura National Park.