Population Estimate And Behavioural Ecology Of Omo River Guereza (colobus Guereza Guereza) From Wof-washa Natural And Plantation Forest Central Highland Ethiopia

Population estimate and behavioural ecology of Omo River guereza (Colobus guerezarnguereza) from Wof-Washa Natural and plantation forest, central highland EthiopiarnDereje Yazezew Mammo, PhD Thesis, Addis Ababa UniversityrnFebruary 2019rnOmo River guereza (Colobus guereza guereza) is a subspecies of eastern black and whiterncolobus monkeys endemic to the western Rift Valley forests of Ethiopia. No detailedrnpublished information is available on this subspecies and it remains one of the least studiedrnprimates in Africa. With the current increasing habitat loss and degradation across itsrngeographic range, data on the current conservation status and behavioural ecology arernessential to design a management plan. This study therefore aims to provide data on thernpopulation estimate and behavioural ecology of Omo River guereza. Vegetation surveysrnwere conducted within each group’s home range to quantify the overall vegetationrncomposition. A total of 2 with 400-500 m long and 10 m wide vegetation transects werernlaid out and sampled the diversity of big trees ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height (DBH=rn1.3 m above ground). Phenological data were analyzed from 13 plant species: 10 trees, twornshrubs and one climber. A total of 39 censuses from 1.5 to 3 km transects were conductedrnwith a cumulative distance of 88.5 km in four different habitat types. The activity budget,rnfeeding ecology and ranging behaviour were studied in two neighbouring groups for fivernminutes with 15 minutes interval scan sampling for 12 month study period. Plant speciesrnwith DBH ≥ 10 cm in the range of natural forest group (N) had higher stem density (780rnstems/ha) than plantation group’s (P) (600 stems/ha). Plant species diversity and evennessrnwere higher and dominance was lower in the natural forest (N) than in plantation forest (P).rnYoung and mature leaves were the most abundant plant parts throughout the year whilernfruit was the least abundant. There were statistical differences in food availability indicesrnof young leaves (Mann Whitney U; Z=-4.16, P

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