Attitudes and Perceptions of the Local Community Towards Conservation in Maze National Park, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

An investigation on the attitudes and perceptions of the local community towards conservation were carried out in Maze National Park, southern Ethiopia, during April 2011 to February 2012. The study was made through household questionnaire survey, direct observation, group discussion, key informant interviews and the recorded data from the Park office. The majority (55.65%) of the respondents had negative attitude towards the wildlife and 18.26% were indifferent towards the conservation area. Wild animals such as lions (Panthera leo) were killed by revenge measures due to livestock loss and crop raiding problems. Awareness creation on the significant values of the newly established National Park to enhance the perception of the local community towards the biodiversity conservation effort is the immediate and crucial task of the Park management and other concerned stakeholders to alleviate the existing serious problems. 

Keywords: Attitude, Awareness creation, Crop raiding, Livestock predation, Community, Wildlife