International Biodiversity Assessment in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve

December 2014 - The Kafa Biosphere Reserve is known for its beautiful nature as well as unique flora and fauna. Past studies of the region's biodiversity document a large number of species: 300 species of mammals including 14 carnivore as well as 8 monkey, 300 bird, 244 plant species and more than 110 tree species. Nevertheless, the biodiversity in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve remained insufficiently recorded and mapped. In particular, the numerous rivers and wetlands have hardly been explored in their complexity and significance.

Therefore, NABU initiated and implemented an International Biodiversity Assessment in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve. A team of 16 German, 1 Dutch and 12 Ethiopian experts, supported by 22 local field guides, conducted intense field work from the 3rd to the 13th of December 2014.

The overall goal of the assessment was to verify current knowledge on biodiversity in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve and to contribute new data by conducting biodiversity assessments of relevant taxa, namely plants, birds, mammals, insects, amphibians, molluscs and fungi. The results from the assessment delivered additional data on species diversity and identified indicator species in order to measure ecosystem “health” and disturbance. Following this baseline survey, the gathered data will be analysed and incorporated into a biodiversity monitoring scheme, which will be developed and implemented by Wageningen University. Also recommendations for conservation and management will be developed.

The International Biodiversity Assessment was conducted within the project ‘Biodiversity under Climate Change: Community Based Conservation, Management and Development Concepts for the Wild Coffee Forests’ (2014-2017), which is funded within the framework of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).

Please follow the links to find out more about the highlights of what has been discovered during the International Biodiversity Assessment in English and in German.