The study area
Nech Sar National Park is one of the National Parks of southern Ethiopia with various wonders (Fig. 1). The Park was established in 1974 in the scenic part of the Rift Valley floor between the Lakes Abaya and Chamo adjacent to the Arbaminch town. It comprises 514km2, of which 85% island covered and 15% as water (EWCA 1999). It is located between the coordinates of 5051’N to 6050’N latitude and 37032’E to 37048’ E longitudes with the elevation ranging between 1108 m to1650 m asl. The temperature ranges from 12.20C to 34.30C.
The lakes and lakeshore areas are an interesting component of the great biodiversity of the park ecosystem. The Lake Chamo supports a high density of very large Nile crocodiles with a particular concentration of them at the beach known as the Crocodile Market, the largest hippo population in Ethiopia, abundant fish including Nile perch and water-related birds. The Nech Sar plains are the dominant feature of the National Park and the main source of food for grazing animals.