Abundance of Rodent on Different Land Management Intervention in Simien Mountains National Park, North Ethiopia
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Date
2018-10-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study deals with the abundance rodents in different land management intervention.
Overgrazing is one of the conservation challenges of the Simien Mountains National Park .
Overgrazing has been devastating the fragile afro-alpine Ecosystem. The objective of this
study was to identify habitat quality and abundance of rodent by recording the new rodent
hole and the common mole rat hill between May, 2017 (wet season) and January and
February 2018 (dry season), assessed thirteen transect lines in average 2-4 km each. In more
rodents captured were investigated in six major sites (within twelve) sub sites and the grids
were established within representative vegetation covers.During dry season, five species of
rodents Lophuromys flavopunctatus, Arvicanthis abyssinicus, Stenocephalemys grisiecauda,
Otomys typus,Mus mahomet and one species of insectivores, Crocidiura baileyi, were
recorded. There was significance variation in habitat quality among different land
management intervention fresh rodent holes and common mole rat hills (p<0.002 and
P<0.003), respectively. ANOVA analytical test result also indicated that rodents’ distribution
were significantly different with different land management such as moderate, slightly grazed
and overgrazed habitats across afro-alpine ecosystem of Simen Mountains National Park.
There was also variation in species abundance in grazed, unglazed and completely grazed
land management system. The highest abundance was Arvicanthus abysinicus 56% six major
sites; in twelve subsets no rodent was recorded in overgrazed Wezahla one low abundance
C.baileyi 0.6%. Density of rodents highest in Alchemilla plant species 8/km2and 0 in
overgrazed Hypericum revolutum plant species. There was significant different in rodent
abundance (P<0.04) in different land management intervention. In general, grazing pressure
were negatively affected the habitat quality of rodent and common mole rats' abundances. .
Therefore, to reduce overgrazing, it is recommended to strength habitat conservation to gain
habitat quality. To follow participatory conservation reduce overgrazing allowing rotational
cut and carry system with limited time bound exclude core area and it should be applied in
local bases.
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Keywords
Abundance, Density Grazing, Habitat Management