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. 2022 Dec 13;119(50):e2206635119.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2206635119. Epub 2022 Dec 9.

Ecology, evolution, and conservation of Ethiopia's biodiversity

Peter J Fashing  1   2 , Nga Nguyen  1   2 , Sebsebe Demissew  3 , Abel Gizaw  3   4 , Anagaw Atickem  5 , Addisu Mekonnen  6   7 , Niina O Nurmi  8 , Jeffrey T Kerby  9   10 , Nils Chr Stenseth  2   5
Affiliations

Ecology, evolution, and conservation of Ethiopia's biodiversity

Peter J Fashing et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Ethiopia is home to one of the richest and most unique assemblages of fauna and flora on the African continent. Contained within its borders are two major centers of endemism, the mesic Roof of Africa (also known as the Ethiopian Highlands) and the arid Horn of Africa, resulting from the country's varied topography and consequent geographic isolation. These centers of endemism are crucial to global conservation as evidenced by their classification within the Eastern Afromontane and Horn of Africa biodiversity hotspots, respectively. Ethiopia's diverse ecosystems and the biodiversity they contain are increasingly threatened by climate change and the growing impacts of Africa's second largest human and largest livestock populations. In this paper, we focus on several key areas of recent and ongoing research on Ethiopian biodiversity that have broadened our understanding of nature and its conservation in Africa. Topics explored include the behavioral ecology of Ethiopia's large social mammals, the ecology and conservation of its unique coffee forests, and Ethiopian approaches to community conservation, fortress conservation, and nature-based solutions. We also highlight the increasing prominence of Ethiopian scientists in studies of the country's biodiversity in recent decades. We suggest promising avenues for future research in evolutionary biology, ecology, systematics, and conservation in Ethiopia and discuss how recent and ongoing work in Ethiopia is helping us better understand and conserve nature in the human-dominated landscapes of Africa and other tropical regions today.

Keywords: biodiversity hotspots; climate change; community conservation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Map of Ethiopia’s protected areas which cover 14% of the country’s landmass and contain much of its biodiversity. Numbers correspond to details about each protected area in the key provided in SI Appendix, Table S1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Proportion of peer-reviewed journal articles (Web of Science search, September 15, 2022) on extant Ethiopian biodiversity (n=745) first-authored by Ethiopian scientists by decade between the 1970s and 2020s. Title or author keywords search terms: “Ethiopia* AND ecology OR mammal* OR bird* OR plant* OR insect* OR reptile* OR fish* OR forest* OR invertebrate* OR new species OR amphibian* OR biodiversity”. Articles concerning extinct Ethiopian species and solely on crop plants or domestic animals were excluded from the analysis. Data from which this graph was generated are available in the accompanying data file “Data for Fig 2.xlsx”.
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