Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically Endangered
The walia ibex Capra walie is endemic to the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia, and is a national symbol. The Simien Mountains National Park was established in 1966 to protect the last 200 walia ibexes from extinction. We coordinated a population census across their c. 100 km2 range in 2015 and annually du...
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| author | Paul Scholte Belayneh Abebe Endalkachew Seraw Fedlu Abedela Mequanint Kinfe Brian May Wendimhunegn Mekuria Olivier Pays Fekede Regassa Tibebu Simegn Sisay Solomon Tilahun Teklu Ephrem Wonde Kumara Wakjira |
| author_facet | Paul Scholte Belayneh Abebe Endalkachew Seraw Fedlu Abedela Mequanint Kinfe Brian May Wendimhunegn Mekuria Olivier Pays Fekede Regassa Tibebu Simegn Sisay Solomon Tilahun Teklu Ephrem Wonde Kumara Wakjira |
| author_sort | Paul Scholte |
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| description | The walia ibex Capra walie is endemic to the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia, and is a national symbol. The Simien Mountains National Park was established in 1966 to protect the last 200 walia ibexes from extinction. We coordinated a population census across their c. 100 km2 range in 2015 and annually during 2019–2024. We counted 865 walia ibexes of all age and sex classes in 2015; this dropped to 650 in 2019–2021, reducing further to 306 in 2024. We investigated this decline through interviews with representatives from neighbouring communities including park personnel, village elders, farmers, local authority staff and militia. More than 70% of those interviewed attributed the drop in walia ibex numbers to poaching, both for food and medicinal purposes. Instability as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and the 2021–2022 war was seen as the fundamental cause. A species action plan is in preparation to mobilize local community ambassadors and increase protection. A database of individually recognized walia ibexes would increase our understanding of population dynamics and distribution to complement the annual counts. We recommend a change of the species’ IUCN Red List status from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered based on the recent, severe population decline and limited extent of occurrence. This status update would accurately reflect the high extinction risk of the walia and help to mobilize resources for urgent conservation actions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eaf70f6d7d7f4cca8ab7e653796d26cc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0030-6053 1365-3008 |
| language | English |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
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| series | Oryx |
| spelling | doaj-art-eaf70f6d7d7f4cca8ab7e653796d26cc2025-08-20T03:51:14ZengCambridge University PressOryx0030-60531365-30081510.1017/S0030605325000341Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically EndangeredPaul Scholte0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3813-7363Belayneh Abebe1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5613-2120Endalkachew Seraw2https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5401-9087Fedlu Abedela3Mequanint Kinfe4Brian May5Wendimhunegn Mekuria6Olivier Pays7Fekede Regassa8Tibebu Simegn9Sisay Solomon10Tilahun Teklu11Ephrem Wonde12Kumara Wakjira13Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAfrican Wildlife Foundation, Debark, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Debark, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAfrican Wildlife Foundation, Debark, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Debark, EthiopiaBiodivAG, Université d’Angers, Angers, FranceEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAfrican Wildlife Foundation, Debark, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Debark, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Debark, EthiopiaEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaThe walia ibex Capra walie is endemic to the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia, and is a national symbol. The Simien Mountains National Park was established in 1966 to protect the last 200 walia ibexes from extinction. We coordinated a population census across their c. 100 km2 range in 2015 and annually during 2019–2024. We counted 865 walia ibexes of all age and sex classes in 2015; this dropped to 650 in 2019–2021, reducing further to 306 in 2024. We investigated this decline through interviews with representatives from neighbouring communities including park personnel, village elders, farmers, local authority staff and militia. More than 70% of those interviewed attributed the drop in walia ibex numbers to poaching, both for food and medicinal purposes. Instability as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and the 2021–2022 war was seen as the fundamental cause. A species action plan is in preparation to mobilize local community ambassadors and increase protection. A database of individually recognized walia ibexes would increase our understanding of population dynamics and distribution to complement the annual counts. We recommend a change of the species’ IUCN Red List status from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered based on the recent, severe population decline and limited extent of occurrence. This status update would accurately reflect the high extinction risk of the walia and help to mobilize resources for urgent conservation actions.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605325000341/type/journal_articleCensusendemic speciesinterviewsIUCN Red List statusspecies action plantotal countWorld Heritage Site |
| spellingShingle | Paul Scholte Belayneh Abebe Endalkachew Seraw Fedlu Abedela Mequanint Kinfe Brian May Wendimhunegn Mekuria Olivier Pays Fekede Regassa Tibebu Simegn Sisay Solomon Tilahun Teklu Ephrem Wonde Kumara Wakjira Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically Endangered Oryx Census endemic species interviews IUCN Red List status species action plan total count World Heritage Site |
| title | Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically Endangered |
| title_full | Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically Endangered |
| title_fullStr | Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically Endangered |
| title_full_unstemmed | Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically Endangered |
| title_short | Severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in Ethiopia: proposed actions and recommended recategorization as Critically Endangered |
| title_sort | severe decline of the only remaining population of walia ibex in ethiopia proposed actions and recommended recategorization as critically endangered |
| topic | Census endemic species interviews IUCN Red List status species action plan total count World Heritage Site |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0030605325000341/type/journal_article |
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