Do you know about Guassa Community Conservation Area?................ “The Guassa area of Menz is found in North Shoa zone of the Amhara Regional state.” The local communities in Menz implemented a remarkable, sustainable natural resource management system starting in the 17th Century. The system, known locally as Qero system, allowed equitable use and distribution of natural resources (thatching grass, fuel wood and grazing) that were, and still are, critical for the livelihood security of the community. By regulating exploitation of the area, the management system has also effectively protected the biodiversity of the Guassa, The endemic large mammal fauna of the Guassa area includes: the critically endangered Ethiopian wolf Canis simensis; gelada baboon Theropithecus gelada; and, Abyssinian hare Lepus starcki. Generally, among the mammal species recorded in the Guassa area seven species are endemic to Ethiopia. Therefore, the Guassa area harbours 22.6% of the endemic mammal fauna of Ethiopia. According to Daniel, to date 111 bird species have been recorded in the Guassa area, which harbours 12% of the 861 species of birds recorded for Ethiopia. There are 14 endemic species of birds accounting for 48.3% of the endemic birds of Ethiopia. Among the 111 recorded species 34% are Afro-tropical Highland Biome restricted species. The area also serves as a wintering ground for 38 species of palearctic migrants and intra-African migrants. The Qero system arose based on the existing land tenure system Astme-Irist which deals with the distribution of land based on ancestral linage which involves an agreed division of the land between descendants of an agreed pioneer father, the Guassa user community was sub divided at a parish level which give the Qero system a power of sacred entity among the Orthodox Church, a powerful component of this ancient society. The Qero system declined in 1975 following the Agrarian, introduced under the socialist regime that came in to power in the revolution of 1974. People that were previously excluded from resource use gained uncontrolled access through their constituent peasant association. During this period, when it became apparent that the indigenous resource management system was declining, the community responded by establishing the Guassa Committee, which is also supported by another local institution locally known as Idir. The Committee retained significant community representation, but remained consistent with and acceptable to the political and social order of the socialist regime. The remarkable adaptation and subsequent persistence of the system suggests that it is stable and resilient in the face of significant political change. More recently and despite this apparent resilience, the system has been floundering. The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) has been working with the community to resurrect and strengthen the system. As a first step, a woreda (district) committee composed of the woreda Administration, Rural Development Office, Agriculture Office, Environmental Protection & Land Use Authority, police, representatives of 8 farmers association, who make use of the area were established. The committee is now working to demarcate the boundary of the Guassa area and preparing by-laws that are accepted by all user communities of the area. The first initiative of the committee was to eliminate the current overuse of the area by closing the Guassa area for the next 4 years from any type of use. This was put into place in June 2003 and should continue until April 2007. According to the agreement reached by the community the area will then be open for only 3 months in 2007, with the cycle expected to continue into the future. Source: Guassa Community common Property
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 20:25:36 +0000
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