The eastern afromontane ecoregion has been identified as one of the 35 biodiversity hotspots on this planet. Ethiopia alone holds roughly 40 % of all Afromontane ecoregions in East Africa. The Ethiopian highlands are also home to some of the most charismatic, endemic and at the same time highly endangered species on earth like Ethiopian wolf, Gelada monkey, Walia Ibex, Mountain Nyala and Giant Lobelia to name only a few.
Today this Ethiopian ecoregion above 3000 m is highly fragmented and disturbed by settlements, farming activities and livestock grazing as a consequence of a fast-increasing rural population. Still, only a few, larger parks in Ethiopia attract international attention while even intact community lands hosting considerable wildlife populations are not being supported substantially.