AREA: 22,000ha/179
sq KM
LAND TENURE: Government
ALTITUDE: 1,900m
to 4,430m
PHYSICAL FEATURES:
The Park occupies
a broad, undulating plateau of vast, grassy plains bordering the northern edge
of the Ethiopian Amhara plateau. The area is part of the Simen Massif which includes
the highest peak in Ethiopia, Ras Dashan Mountain (4,620m/15,158ft).). The massif
was formed some 25 million years ago and the igneous basalts have since been eroded
to form precipitous cliffs and deep gorges. Some cliffs reach 1,500m in height
and extend for long distances (the north scarp extends 35km). The plateau is bounded
on the south and north-east by the deep valleys of the Tacazze River and its tributaries.
It is bisected from north to south by the Mayshasha River, for which it is the
principal catchments area.
CLIMATE:
There are two wet seasons, from February to March, and July to September; mean
annual rainfall is 1550mm. Temperatures range from a minimum of -2.5° C-4°
C to a maximum of 11° C-18° C. There are often drying winds during the
day; frosts may occur at night, and snow sometimes settles on the summit of Ras
Dashan.
VEGETATION:
This is a mixture
of Afro-Alpine woods, heath forest, high montane vegetation, montane savanna and
montane moorland with tree heath Erica arborea, giant lobelia Lobelia rhynchopetalum,
Solanum sp., Rosa abyssinica, yellow primrose Primula verticillata, everlastings
Helichrysum spp., lady's mantle Alchemilla, Thymus, Urtica, and mosses (Grimmiaceae).
Lichen Usnea spp. drape the high altitude forest trees. The alpine moss originated
in the Pleistocene epoch. Ridge tops and gorge sides support coarse grassland
with herbs Thymus spp., Trifolium spp., Geranium arabicum, thickets of Rumex
nervosus, scattered Otostegia minucci, and creepers Clematis simensis and
Galium spurium. Forests of St. John's wort Hypericum spp. once flourished at 3,000-3,800m,
but few still remain. There are high, but unquantified, levels of endemism.
FAUNA:
Walia ibex Capra walie (EN) on the
north scarp of the massif is endemic to Simen Mountain, with most of the population
occurring in the park. Numbers in 1989 were estimated at 400 individuals, decreasing
to 250 in 1996 (Shackleton, 1997, Nievergelt, 1996). Simen fox Canis simensis
(EN) is endemic to Ethiopia, and other mammals include gelada baboon Theropithecus
gelada (R), hamadryas baboon Papio hamadryas, colobus monkey Colobus sp., serval
Felis serval, leopard Panthera pardus, caracal Felis caracal, wild cat F. silvestris,
spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta, jackal Canis aureus, and several large herbivores
including bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus, common duiker Sylvicapra grimmia, and
klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus. The 400 bird species include lammergeier Gypaetus
barbatus, Verreaux's eagle Aquila verreauxii, kestrel Falco tinnunculus, lanner
falcon F. biarmicus, and augur buzzard Buteo rufofuscus. A total of 21 mammals
have been recorded, with three endemics and 63 bird species, including seven endemics.
CULTURAL HERITAGE:
The Simen
region, being surrounded by old cultural centres like Aksum, Lalibela and Gonder,
was inhabited by human settlers and cultivators for at least 2,000 years (Kirwan,
1972). Erosion indicates that cultivation first started on the gentler slopes
of the highland valleys but later extended onto steeper slopes. Simen is at the
crossing of old trade routes and records of various local features were made in
the 18th and 19th centuries.
LOCAL HUMAN POPULATION:
Originally some 2,500 people inhabited the park, although this was reduced with
forced relocation of approximately 1,800 inhabitants from the lower slopes of
the northern escarpment in 1979. However, following civil unrest in the 1980's
villages have developed within the park boundaries.