Nechsar is an IUCN category II National Park that was established in
1974 with the aim of conserving the endemic Swayne’s Hartebeest and
preserving its scenic beauty. It is situated 510 km south of Addis Ababa
near the town of Arba Minch. It is bounded by the Amaro Mountains in
the east, north by Lake Abaya, and south by Lake Chamo. Two major rivers, Sermale and
Kulfo traverse the park. The major features of this protected Area are
Abaya and Chamo lakes. Mean annual temperature is around 21 dC and a
maximum going as high as 30 dC.
Nechsar’s landscape includes extensive grasslands, savannah, mountains
and hills. Nechsar has a variety of habitats ranging from savannah, dry
bush and ground water forests. It is
home to at least 200 species of birds. To date, 37 species of mammals
have been recorded including the Swayne’s Hartbeest, Burchell’s Zebra,
Grant’s Gazelle, Guenther’s Dik Dik Greater Kudu, and Hunting Dog.
Hippopotamus, Grey Duicker, Common Bushbuck and Crocodile. The lakes
support stocks of Nile perch and cat Fish.
Unique features
Nechsar is named after the creamy white grass that covers the park in
the central plains area. Hot springs found in the eastern part of the
park and the "crocodile market" located on the northwestern shores of
lakes Chamo are an added attraction. The Nechsar Nightjar Caprimulgus
Solala, is a species identified from the Nechsar plains. This bird
species was described solely using a single wing from a road kill in the
park in 1995. Other birds of global importance include the Lesser
Kestrel, Lesser Flamingo (in small numbers) and the Pallid Harrier.
Nechsar also affords protection to 25 Somali –Masi Biome birds thus
providing home to 26% of Ethiopia’s Somali-fronted Black Chat was
recorded from. The ground water forest supported by a high water table
in the park is one of its kinds in Eastern Africa.
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