205:. The Qero system is organized by two formally elected chiefs who oversee the beneficiary communities to ensure equitable resource distribution, and enforce the bylaws protecting the common property resources. Based on traditional tenure patterns, rules of protection and utilization as well as enforcement are essential aspects of the Qero system. Further organization of the user community into parishes gave the Guassa area the status of consecrated land, under the protective patronage of the parish, which reinforced the Qero system with the prestige, power, and authority of another important local level institution. In the process, the Guassa common property resources became a kind of sacred entity. Following the
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262:(14 °F). There is frequent frost and fog in the dry season. The temperature variation is less in the wet season with a daytime temperature of 12 °C (54 °F) and a nighttime temperature of 3 °C (37 °F). Guassa can be visited at any time of the year, although persistent rainfall in July and August makes that season the least favorable.
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Zelealem Tefera
Ashenafi and Leader-Williams, N. (2006) The Resilient Nature of Common Property Resource Management System: Case study Central Highlands of Ethiopia. Paper Presented at the 12 International Conference of International Association for the Study of Common Property Resources. Bali,
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Annual rainfall for Guassa averages 1,200 mm to 1,600 mm. The area is characterized by mild days and cold nights and is malaria free. In the driest months (December through
February) the daytime temperature can rise to 23 °C (73 °F) while at night it can fall to −10 °C
155:. It has been the focus of an indigenous natural resource management institution, known as “Qero,” system for over 400 years It is located 80 km off the main highway, and is home to numerous endemic birds and wildlife species, including the iconic
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Zelealem Tefera
Ashenafi, Coulson, T, Sillero-Zubiri, C, and Leader-Williams, N. (2005) Behavior and ecology of the Ethiopian wolf in a human-dominated landscape outside protected areas. Animal Conservation,
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The Guassa Area ranges in altitude from 3,200 to 3,700 meters above sea level. The rugged mountain plateau is crosscut by gorges and river valleys running westwards. The area forms the watershed between the
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is legally protected and with a total world population of less than 450 is the most endangered canid in the world. With six packs of wolves, the Guassa area is a key population of the species. The
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that can reach a height of 1.5 meters and a diameter of 5 to 10 meters. These mounds consist of highly organic and deep soil. They are made by rodents, the most important of which is the
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The Guassa Area originated as a community-based natural resource management system known as “Qero” over 400 years ago. It is one of the oldest known conservation areas in
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Zelealem Tefera
Ashenafi and Leader-Williams, N. (2005) Indigenous Common Property Resource Management in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia. Human Ecology, 33: 539-563.
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species. The Afro-montane vegetation of the Guassa Area varies with altitude and is a key attraction of the area. Other common plant species found in the area include
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systems and thus performs an important hydrological function and catchment area. The eastern edge of the Guassa Area falls away abruptly as cliffs drop into the
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family is extensively used as firewood by the communities living adjacent to the Guassa Area. Above 3,200 meters,
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GCCA lies at a latitude of 10° 15′ – 10° 27′ N and longitude of 39° 45′ – 39° 49′ E. The area is part of the
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occurs over 3,200 meters on flat, gentle slopes and well-drained areas. The shrubby vegetation of
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114 bird species have been recorded in the Guassa Area: 12% of the 862 species of birds in
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grassland, or ‘Guassa” grass gives the area its name.
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16:Protected area in Amhara Region, Ethiopia
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183:Shoa Administrative Zone
614:white-winged cliff chat
586:Vanellus melanocephalus
460:Ethiopian highland hare
207:1974 popular revolution
618:Myrmecocichla semirufa
602:Bostrychia carunculata
426:Lobelia rhynchopetalum
217:The population of the
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594:Corvus crassirostris
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558:Cyanochen cyanoptera
550:Macronyx flavicollis
542:Parophasma galinieri
534:Serinus ankoberensis
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538:Abyssinian catbird
520:and intra-African
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395:Helichrysum
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315:Helichrysum
312:moorlands,
277:Awash River
147:in central
126:Established
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81:Coordinates
711:Categories
641:References
635:EthioTrees
518:Palearctic
410:torch lily
369:Compositae
355:Alchemilla
321:Alchemilla
191:Mehal Meda
93:39°45′46″E
90:10°20′32″N
419:Kniphofia
382:grassland
359:shrubland
219:Menz Gera
179:Menz-Gera
624:See also
514:Ethiopia
508:Avifauna
490:leopards
478:Ethiopia
458:and the
448:Ethiopia
291:Wildlife
247:Ethiopia
231:Ethiopia
173:Location
159:and the
149:Ethiopia
65:Ethiopia
53:Location
526:Endemic
502:servals
486:jackals
438:Mammals
399:Festuca
378:Festuca
374:Euryops
351:Euryops
266:Habitat
257:Climate
227:Amharic
166:Festuca
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498:civets
468:gelada
462:. The
456:Gelada
454:, the
223:Amhara
75:Dessie
433:Fauna
405:Erica
309:Erica
296:Flora
239:Ge’ez
500:and
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336:and
318:and
275:and
273:Nile
139:The
118:Area
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