Harenna Forest

The Harenna Forest is located in a highland forest region of the Bale Mountains, in the Oromia Region of southeastern Ethiopia.

Harenna Forest with Bale Mountains behind.

It is one of the few remaining natural forests in the country.[1]

Natural history

Ecoregions

Bale Mountains contain four distinct ecoregions of the Afromontane ecozone:

  • Northern plains
  • Bush and woodlands
  • Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands — on the central Sanetti Plateau, with an average elevation of over 4,000 metres (13,000 ft)
  • Ethiopian montane forests — in the higher elevation southern Harenna Forest areas.

Flora and fauna
Giant forest hogs in the Harenna Forest, Bale Mountains NP, Ethiopia

The Harenna Forest is known for its native plants, mammals, amphibians and birds, including many endemic species. [2] One such endemic species is the tree Maytenus harenensis, which is also classified by the IUCN as vulnerable due to the threat of logging.[3]

The Harenna Forest was once habitat to packs of the endangered painted hunting dog, Lycaon pictus. However, the presence of this canid is now in question here due to the population pressures of expanding human presence.[4] The central Sanetti Plateau is home to the largest population of the rare and endangered Ethiopian wolf.

See also
  • Ecoregions of Ethiopia
  • Forests of Ethiopia

References
  1. L.J.G. van der Maesen, X.M. van der Burgt and J.M. van Medenbach de Rooy. 1994
  2. L.J.G. van der Maesen, X.M. van der Burgt and J.M. van Medenbach de Rooy. 1994. The Biodiversity of African Plants: Proceedings, XIVth AETFAT Congress, 22–27 August 1994, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Published by Springer, ISBN 978-0-7923-4095-9. 861 pages.
  3. World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Maytenus harenensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 11 May 2015.
  4. C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived 2010-12-09 at the Wayback Machine

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