Nechisar National Park is a national park in Ethiopia. It is located in the Great Rift Valley, which is in the southwestern part of the Ethiopian Highlands.

Geography

The 750 km (290 sq mi) park includes the "Bridge of God," a narrow strip of land connecting Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo, and the Nechisar (English: white grass) plains located east of the lakes. It is situated east of Arba Minch. The park's elevation ranges from 1,108 to 1,650 m (3,635 to 5,413 ft).

History

Nechisar National Park was first suggested in 1967 and officially created in 1974. However, it was never officially announced in legal documents, though it has operated as a national park in practice. In 1982, following advice from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the local Guji people, who had lived as pastoralists near Lake Abaya and Chamo, were forced to leave the park by people using guns.

During the unstable period after the end of the Derg government and in the years that followed, Nechisar National Park suffered significant harm. Buildings located far from the park’s main office were stolen from and destroyed. At the same time, the Guji people returned to their traditional grazing lands. According to one source, they moved there to escape attacks by the Borena Oromo, who themselves faced harm from nearby ethnic groups. This situation worsened the environment and led to the disappearance of many animal species. The Guji also obtained firearms during this time and later used them to resist being removed from the park. In 2005, Refugees International expressed concern about the Guji’s forced removal.

Geography and landscape

The important nearby city to the park is Arba Minch, located in the Main Ethiopian Rift. About 15% of the park includes lakes, such as Lake Abaya in the north and Lake Chamo in the south. The habitat includes areas near the lakes, such as groundwater forests and lake shorelines, as well as dry grassy plains. The elevation in the park ranges from 1,108 meters above sea level at the shore of Lake Chamo to 1,650 meters at Mount Tabala in the north-east, which is known for its hot springs. Some of the taller trees in the park are Dichrostachys cinerea, Acacia tortilis, Balanites aegyptiaca, and the less common Acacia nilotica. The southern part of the park is mostly covered by edaphic grassland with calcareous black clay soil underneath. Plants such as Dobera glabra, Acacia tortilis, and the grass Chrysopogon aucheri make up much of the landscape in this area. Invasive species and the spread of woody plants are threats to the park's biodiversity.

Wildlife

The park is home to many animals, including plains zebra, Grant's gazelle, dik-dik, hippopotamus, African leopard, spotted hyena, greater kudu, lion, and cheetah. Other animals found in the park include bushbuck, waterbuck, bushpig, Anubis baboon, vervet monkeys, and black-backed jackal. The park once had one of the last three groups of Swayne's hartebeest, but this species is now extinct, as the last individual was seen in 2017.

The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) used to live in the park, but it may no longer live there because of human activity in the area. In 2009, fewer than 23 lions were estimated to live in and around the protected area.

Nechisar National Park is an important place for many bird species, such as kingfishers, storks, pelicans, flamingos, and African fish eagles. A part of the northwest shore of Lake Chamo is called Crocodile Market, where hundreds of Nile crocodiles gather to lie in the sun.