Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area
and wildlife sanctuary in southern Ethiopia
. It is located in the Borena Zone
of the Oromia Region
west of the town of Yabelo
, having an area of 2,500 square kilometers and elevations ranging from 1430 to 2000 meters above sea level with a latitude and longitude of .
The area of the Sanctuary is notable for its red soils which have little organic matter. The general vegetation-type is Acacia
savanna, the major trees being A. drepanolobium
on black cotton soil, and A. brevispica and A. horrida
on the slopes. There are also patches of Balanites aegyptiaca
, and several species of Commiphora
and Terminalia
at the lower altitudes. The higher parts of the hills were formerly covered with forest dominated by Juniperus procera
and Olea europaea cuspidata. Endemic species of birds found in this protected area include Stresemann's Bushcrow and White-tailed Swallow
.
Yabelo reportedly suffers from a great deal of deforestation, and illegal hunting of the spotted cats and ostrich
is common. Some ex-servicemen have also settled within the sanctuary boundaries.
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
and wildlife sanctuary in southern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It is located in the Borena Zone
Borena Zone
Borena is one of the 17 zones of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Borena is named after a tribe of the Oromo people. Borena is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, on the north by Guji and on the east by the Somali Region. The...
of the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
west of the town of Yabelo
Yabelo
Yabelo is a town in southern Ethiopia. An alternative name for this town is Obda, which is also the name of a nearby mountain. Located northwest of Moyale in the Guji Zone of the Oromia Region , this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1857 meters above sea level...
, having an area of 2,500 square kilometers and elevations ranging from 1430 to 2000 meters above sea level with a latitude and longitude of .
The area of the Sanctuary is notable for its red soils which have little organic matter. The general vegetation-type is Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
savanna, the major trees being A. drepanolobium
Acacia drepanolobium
Acacia drepanolobium, commonly known as Whistling Thorn , is a swollen-thorn acacia native to East Africa. The whistling thorn grows up to 6 meters tall. It produces a pair of straight thorns at each node, some of which have large bulbous bases. These swollen thorns are naturally hollow and...
on black cotton soil, and A. brevispica and A. horrida
Acacia horrida
Acacia horrida is a low spreading shrub or sometimes tree native to both the wet and dry scrublands of tropical to subtropical East Africa. Common names for it are Cape Gum and Dev-Babul. It is also found elsewhere in Africa, Asia, India and South America. It frequently has stipular spines...
on the slopes. There are also patches of Balanites aegyptiaca
Balanites aegyptiaca
Balanites aegyptiaca is a species of tree, classified either as a member of the Zygophyllaceae or the Balanitaceae. This tree is native to much of Africa and parts of the Middle East....
, and several species of Commiphora
Commiphora
Commiphora is a genus of flowering plants in the family Burseraceae. It includes about 185 species of trees and shrubs, often armed or thorny, native to Africa, Arabia, and the Indian subcontinent.-Uses:...
and Terminalia
Terminalia (plant)
Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets it name from Latin terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.Trees of this genus...
at the lower altitudes. The higher parts of the hills were formerly covered with forest dominated by Juniperus procera
Juniperus procera
Juniperus procera, commonly known in English as African Juniper or East African Juniper, is a coniferous tree native to the mountains of eastern Africa from eastern Sudan south to Zimbabwe, and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula...
and Olea europaea cuspidata. Endemic species of birds found in this protected area include Stresemann's Bushcrow and White-tailed Swallow
White-tailed Swallow
The White-tailed Swallow is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.It is endemic to Ethiopia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.It is threatened by habitat loss....
.
Yabelo reportedly suffers from a great deal of deforestation, and illegal hunting of the spotted cats and ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
is common. Some ex-servicemen have also settled within the sanctuary boundaries.