The protected area system of Ethiopia: Development, present state and perspectives towards the '30x30 target'

Ethiopia is well-known for its outstanding biodiversity and importance as a water tower for surrounding countries. In the mid-1960s, conservation efforts focused on creating protected areas (PAs) that excluded human exploitation and targeted tourism. National Parks, Wildlife Reserves and especially Hunting Areas dominated the country’s first PA map from 1973. Fifty years later, the map for Ethiopia on the World Database on Protected Areas, showing 17 per cent of Ethiopia’s land cover as PAs, is outdated. While several PAs have been added over the years, there are non-functioning and de-gazetted PAs, especially non-operational hunting areas, that have not been removed from the database. We present updated maps, showing that 14 per cent of Ethiopia is currently protected by wildlife PAs (10 per cent) and Forest Priority Areas (4 per cent). With its declining wildlife and international tourism, and the under-funding of its PAs, Ethiopia’s response towards the Global Biodiversity Framework ‘30x30 target’ should prioritise improving PA quality by i) diversifying PA governance allowing increased community ownership, ii) diversifying PA management for increased efficiency, iii) promoting investments in PAs, and iv) setting realistic management objectives. There is considerable long-term potential (post-2030) to increase the number of conservation areas by recognising the many tiny church forests and vast pastoral territories as Other area-based Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs), while stimulating PAs’ economic rationale beyond international tourism.