Challenges, Attitude and Perception of Local Communities Towards Conservation of Alledeghi Wildlife Reserve, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Alledeghi Wildlife Reserve (AWR) was established to serve as buffer zone for Awash National Park, and conserve wildlife population. The aim of the study was to identify major conservation challenges, and determine attitude and perception of local communities towards the AWR. The study was conducted from December 2015 - August 2016. Data was collected through questionnaire survey, focus group discussion, direct field observation, and secondary data sources. Total sample size of the study was 107 households. Out of the 9 Kebeles which are found near to AWR, 4 Kebeles were selected purposively. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 23 software. The main threats were invasive species expansion (83.17%), habitat destruction (67.28%), drought (52.33%), and poaching (23.36%); it showed significant difference (χ2=36.77, df=3, p<0.05). High dependency of local communities on the natural resources affected habitat quality and size of AWR. Seventy one percent of the respondents had a positive attitude towards AWR. The attitude of local communities towards AWR showed statistical difference among the study kebeles (χ2=11.31, df=3, p<0.05), Education level (χ2=77.16, df=3, p<0.05), Source of income (χ2=71.09, df=2, p<0.05), and gender (χ2=16.25 df=1, p<0.05). Provision of alternative sources of technology and alternative income generation strategies would reduce these effects.

Keywords: Attitude, Invasive species, Local community, Perception, Threat