Attitudes and Perceptions of Local People Towards the Borena Sayint National Park and its Wildlife Conservation, Wollo, Ethiopia: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation

Background and Objective: Protected areas are crucial for the conservation of biological diversity. Aside from these benefits, protected areas can also generate significant economic resources for a country. However, people’s attitudes and perceptions toward wildlife and their habitat can significantly affect the success of conservation initiatives in protected areas. Here, this study examined the attitudes and perceptions of local people and possible mitigation measures proposed by the local people at the Borena Sayint National Park (BSNP) in Wollo, Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based interview was conducted with the household head, the household head’s wife, or other adult >18 years old. The proportion of the respondents’ answers regarding the impacts of BSNP on the livelihoods of local farmers was analyzed using Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests. Results: Many (57.6%) respondents felt that crop damage and livestock predation by wild animals was the biggest problem living near the park. Geladas (Theropithecus gelada), hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas), grivet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) and leopards (Panthera pardus) are the main problematic wild animals that affect local people’s livelihood. Most (79.6%) respondents claimed that local communities didn’t benefit as they expected from the BSNP. Conclusion: The results indicated that the attitudes of local people affect the success of the biodiversity conservation of BSNP. Therefore, it is imperative to benefit the local community from the park to secure it.