M. Balakrishnan

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Addis Ababa University

Egyptian goose (Alopochena egyptiacus) is a resident bird species in Africa South of the Sahara occurring throughout the entire Nile Valley. Despite the wide distribution, the available information on its behavioral ecology is limited in Ethiopia. A study on the activity patterns, habitat use and foraging habits of Egyptian goose was carried out in...

The genetic diversity of the Ethiopian endemic Ankober Serin Crithagra ankoberensis was studied in two populations at Simien Mountains National Park and Guassa Community Conservation Area using five microsatellite markers. Blood samples were taken from 16 and 14 birds, respectively. Three molecular markers resulted in relatively low, though noticea...

The African Civet (Civettictis Civetta Shreber, 1778) is one of the important natural animal resources of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the major producer of the Civet perineal gland secretion (known as “civet”) used extensively as a base in perfume industry. However, there is no improvement in civet farming processes in rural Ethiopia, and the farmers sti...

The African civet (Civettictis civetta Shreber 1778) is one of the important natural animal resources of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the major producer of the civet perineal gland secretion (known as “civet”) used extensively as a base in perfume industry. However, there is no improvement in civet farming processes in rural Ethiopia, and the farmers stil...

Much confusion surrounds the occurrence of Appias lalage Doubleday, 1842 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Pierinae), also known as the Spot Puffin butterfly, in the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats is a mountain chain that runs along the western coast of southern India, and it is one of the globally recognized biodiversity hotspots. Its evergreen forest flo...

Soil erosion is the loss of soil by physical movement of particles from a given site leading to land degradation. The present study was carried out in Huluka watershed of the Oromia regional state of Ethiopia. Land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes and their potential impacts on soil erosion during 1998–2018 were studied. Landsat 5 thematic mapper (TM)...

Drought is a water related climatic natural disaster affecting wide range of environmental, biological and social factors. Short, poor and delayed rainfall in 2015 caused critical water shortage, livestock causality and decline in milk production in the pastoral areas of Ethiopia. The relationship between rainfall and vegetation indices was analyze...

A study on the flock size, diet composition, and habitat characteristics of the Ankober Serin Crithagra ankoberensis was carried out at Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP) and Guassa Community Conservation Area (GCCA) between July 2014 and February 2016. The highest and lowest mean flock sizes were 130 (at SMNP) and 16 (both SMNP and GCCA), respe...

A study on the flock size, diet composition, and habitat characteristics of the Ankober Serin Crithagra ankoberensis was carried out at Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP) and Guassa Community Conservation Area (GCCA) between July 2014 and February 2016. The highest and lowest mean flock sizes were 130 (at SMNP) and 16 (both SMNP and GCCA), respe...

Population, feeding habit, distribution and activity patterns of the giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) were studied in Chebera Churchura National Park (CCNP), Ethiopia, using line transect sample counts. Population estimate of the hogs was 845 individuals. Among the counted individuals, 42.4% were males and 57.6% were females. Among the...

Hyraxes are diurnal mammals limited in their distribution in Africa and the Middle East. Procavia capensis capillosa is endemic to Bale Mountains, and its ecology is not studied. The present investigation deals with the distribution and population ecology of this subspecies through field observations and point counts following simultaneous double o...

Depending on the rapid growth in infrastructural developments along with the increasing of human population, quality of cities is being deteriorated globally. Assurance of environmental quality is essential for urban planning and developments. This paper presents the potential application of urban green areas as an indicator of urban environmental...

An investigation into the population status and distribution of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer Sparrman, 1779) in Chebera Churchura National Park, Ethiopia, was carried out during the wet and dry seasons of 2012-2015. This study tested the hypothesis that buffalo would demonstrate seasonal habitat preferences and changes in population density...

Species composition and pest status of rodents were studied in Tendaho Sugarcane Plantation during August 2013-April 2014. Three trapping grids were randomly selected in the plantation based on the growth stages of the cane, viz., immature (ISP), young (YSP), and old (OSP). An additional grid was selected in the bushland (BLA) area outside the suga...

Human–wildlife conflict is a serious challenge undermining the integrity of protected areas in developing countries. Developing effective human–wildlife conflict mitigation strategies requires an understanding of the conflict patterns, species involved and attitudes of local people living along protected area boundaries. We hypothesised that (1) th...

Soil salinization is a major problem affecting productivity of irrigated lands in arid and semi-arid areas. Managing salinity to minimize environmental impact is a prerequisite for sustainable irrigated agriculture. The objective of this study was to assess the level of salinity in Sego irrigated farm and to map temporal and spatial distribution of...

Population status, structure, sounder size, feeding ecology and habitat association of the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus Gmelin, 1788) were studied in Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia using both total and sample count methods. A total of 195 individuals were counted in the six study sites by total count method, of which 118 (60.5%) w...

One of the fundamental questions in animal ecology concerns the activity pattern of animals and the environmental and intrinsic factors that influence such dynamics. This study tested the hypotheses that activity time budgets of the African buffalo appeared to vary by season and times of day and predicted that buffalo would express unequal proporti...

A study on the population structure and abundance of the Grant's gazelle (Gazella granti Brooke, 1872) was carried out in the plains of Nechisar National Park, Ethiopia during November, 2008 - April, 2009. Distance sampling based on line-transect method was used to estimate the populations of the Grant's gazelles. Habitat association was assessed b...

Malaria is a major global health problem, affecting 3.5–5.0 billion people worldwide with environmental factors contributing for about 70–90% of the disease-risk. Over one million cases of malaria are reported each year, out of which more than 80% is from the sub-Saharan Africa. Ethiopia is a predominantly malaria-prone country as about 75% of the...

Salinization is one of the major problems of irrigated agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas, affecting productivity of agricultural lands. Managing salinity to minimize its environmental impact is a pre-requisite for the long-term sustainability of irrigated agriculture. Major objectives of this study were to assess the level of salinity in Sego...

Land suitability analysis is the process of evaluation of a specific area of land in terms of suitability for a defined use. Land suitability analysis for agricultural crops is an important modern step to identify suitable and sustainable land use practices in order to get optimum benefits out of the land. In the present study, physical land suitab...

Land-use patterns are changing fast in most of the tropical nations in relation to the human population growth and related impacts. Majority of the rural population in Ethiopia depends on agriculture, and hence the land-use changes during the couple of decades in rural Ethiopia are mostly linked to agricultural developments. The present study deals...

A study on the population structure and abundance of the Grant's gazelle (Gazella granti Brooke, 1872) was carried out in the plains of Nechisar. The mean herd size was 3.65 individuals, including the territorial male, females and fawns. The age ratio of adult to fawns was 1:0.22. The age structure of Grant's gazelles was 82.5 % adult, 12.5 % juven...

Species composition and habitat association of rodents were studied in Yetere forest, Central Ethiopia during August 2011– February 2012. Based on the topography and vegetation types, the study area was classified into forest (F), grassland (GL), bushland (BL) and farmland (FL) habitats. In each of the habitat types, one 4900 m live trapping grid w...

Heller's vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus arenarius) is one of the African savannah monkeys found in East Africa including Ethiopia. This study was carried out from September 2012 to April 2013 to provide data on the effect of habitat on density, feeding and activity of the Heller's vervet monkey in Nech Sar National Park and its adjacent are...

A study on the population status, distribution and feeding ecology of the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) was carried out in the Borena-Sayint National Park, Southern Ethiopia during October, 2010 – March, 2011 including wet and dry seasons. Distance sampling line-transect count method was used to estimate the population of Ethiopian wolf. A total...

Hawassa town and its surroundings have high ecotourism potential due to the presence of abundant natural and cultural resources including landscape, of the lake. The main objectives of the present study were to evaluate and identify ecotourism potential of the area using multi-criteria techniques for optimal exploitation of the area for tourism. In...

Feeding ecology and behavior of the African Civet (Civettictis civetta) was studied to reveal the feeding habit and behavior in Arba Minch Forest. This study include both wet and dry seasons. This study was carried out by direct and indirect observations. Direct observation was carried out during night using night visionscope. Indirect observations...

As part of ecological studies of larger mammals in Chebera Churchura National Park, southwestern Ethiopia, population, distribution and habitat association of the waterbuck, Kobus ellipsiprymnus ellipsiprymnus were studied during wet and dry seasons of 2013-2014. Representative transects across the main habitat types such as wooded grasslands, wood...

Remote sensing and GIS have enormous applications in ecological studies, particularly in habitat analysis of wild animals. The present study was aimed to evaluate habitats of the African civet in Andracha, Ethiopia to generate geo-referenced ecological data on habitats of this species. Habitat evaluation and habitat changes during 1986–2012 were an...

The population density, diet and scent-marking of African civets (Civettictis civetta) were assessed at Arba Minch Forest within Nechi Sar National Park in Arba Minch, Ethiopia. The Civet population was estimated over a 5-months period to be 0. 27/ha, of which 0.16 were adults and 0.11 young. Civet diet was analyzed by examining 578 scats during th...

Bioindicators are organisms of species highly sensitive to the changes in the surroundings, which can provide information about the health of the ecosystem. By sampling and studying population dynamics of such organisms, it is possible to monitor ecological changes and reveal positive and negative effects of human activities in the area. Bioindicat...

Information on land-use/land-cover changes in protected areas is essential for a wide range of applications, especially to analyze land degradation, runoff, changing patterns of natural resources and to resolve wildlife management related issues. Understanding the effects of the changes on biodiversity is important to reduce loss of biodiversity ,...

A study on rodents in the fire affected ericaceous vegetation in the Web Valley of the Bale Mountains National Park was conducted during July 2008–March 2009. Five trapping girds were randomly selected based on the duration since the occurrence of fire such as 6-months, 2-years, 3-years, 4-years and Erica vegetation unaffected by fire. Full recover...

An investigation of population structure and ecology of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer Sparrman, 1779) was carried out in the Chebera Churchura National Park, Ethiopia during the wet and dry seasons of 2005–2006. Sample counts of African buffaloes were carried out in an area of 1,215 km². The estimated population of buffalo was 2,617 individu...

Order Chiroptera is the second most diverse and abundant order of mammals with great physiological and ecological diversity. They play important ecological roles as prey and predator, arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, pollination, material and nutrient distribution, and recycle. They have great advantage and disadvantage in economic terms. The...

Biodiversity encompasses variety and variability of all forms of life on earth that play a great role in human existence. Its conservation embraces maintenance, sustainable utilization, and restoration, of the lost and degraded biodiversity through two basic and complementary strategies called in situ and ex situ. Ex situ conservation is the techni...

Species diversity and abundance of small mammals were studied in Nechisar National Park, Ethiopia, during August 2008 – March 2009. Twenty species of rodents and four species of insectivores were recorded from the study area. Mastomys natalensis (17.37%), Arvicanthis dembeensis (17.09%), Mastomys erythroleucus (8.90%), Stenocephalemys albipes (8.76...

An assessment was made on the extent and rate of forest cover change in Harenna forest, Ethiopia during 1986 and 2006 using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Landsat images ETM+ of the year 1986, and SPOT 2006 were used to identify forest cover changes, rate of deforestation and the type of land-cover to which the forest was converted. The major l...

Abundance of rodents and insectivorous mammals was estimated in Pawe area of Ethiopia in natural forest, plantation, bushland, grassland and maize farms. Grids were randomly selected in each of the habitats, and small mammals were live-trapped during the wet and dry seasons. A total of 606 individuals (including recaptures) comprising 10 species of...

An ecological study on species composition, distribution, relative abundance and habitat association of rodents was conducted in Siltie natural vegetation and nearby farmlands during July 2008 - March 2009. Five habitat types, three from natural and two from agricultural fields were randomly selected based on representation of the main vegetation z...

A study of ecology of rodents and insectivores was carried out in Wonji Sugarcane plantation between August 2005 and March 2006. As rodents are known to damage standing sugarcane, the present study was aimed to reveal the abundance of various rodent pests in the plantation and in the adjecent natural area. Three trapping grids were randomly selecte...

Natural scent marking by African Civet Civettictis civetta was studied in three locations from the Jimma area, western Ethiopia. Scent-marks were found on 96 artefacts including trees, shrubs, bushes, electric and fencing poles, at a mean height of 31 cm above ground. Thirty-five percent of the scent-marked artefacts were located within 5 m of cive...

The Bohor reedbucks Redunca redunca (Pallas, 1767) were studied in the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), Ethiopia to assess their population ecology and activity patterns. The total count method was used to assess population size. Activity patterns of a herd were studied with five minutes recording intervals. There were 406 Bohor reedbucks in th...

Lipid droplets discharged from the disintegrating holocrine cells of the flank gland of the Indian musk shrew, Suncus murinus viridescens (Blyth) are stored in the lumen of the sebaceous acini and eliminated to the exterior through the glandular ducts. Specialized hairs developed on the surface of the flank gland of the shrew are deep rooted. The o...

An ecological study on pest status of rodents was carried out in Wonji Sugarcane plantation during august 2005-March 2006. To determine the damages made by rodents during different growth stages, three trapping grids were selected from immature sugarcane plantations (ISP). young sugarcane plantation (YSP) and old sugarcane plantation (OSP) randomly...

The population, age and sex category and diurnal activity patterns of the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) were studied in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia during wet and dry seasons. Both total and sample counts were made to study the population size. Focal animal sampling method was used, focussing on one animal, pair or group at...

Upper Lupande Game Management area in Luangwa Valley, Zambia currently supports good populations of sixteen large and medium-sized herbivores. Impala was the most abundant constituting 34% of the total population estimates, followed by buffalo (19%), zebra (12%), wildebeest (10%), warthog (8%), elephant (6%) and hippopotamus (3%). Other species mad...

Types d’aliments et écologie alimentaire de la Civette africaine (Civettictis civetta) en région de Jimma, Éthiopie. — Les types d’aliments et l’écologie alimentaire de Civettes africaines ont été étudiés d’août 2005 à février 2006 dans trois zones (Kito, Beda Buna et Jeran) dans la région de Jimma en province d’Oromia, Éthiopie. Des fèces fraîches...

The population status, structure, abundance and trend of plains zebra ( Equus quagga ) were studied in Nechisar plains, Nechisar National Park, southern Ethiopia, using transects and silent detection methods. The population of plains zebra in the area was estimated at 4500, with the population density of 16.6 km -2. The average herd sizes of one- m...

The Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hi-laire, 1803) is a tawny-grey or greyish-brown viverrid, distributed in both forest and scrub/grass hill regions, where there is suffi -cient long grass or thickets to provide daytime refuge. Its fur coat Abstract A survey of captive Small Indian Civets Viverricula indica in Kerala reve...

Breeding Small Indian Civets Viverricula indica were observed in two captive colonies in Trichur District of Kerala, south India. One colony was kept in traditional wooden cages individually, except for short periods of pairing. The other colony lived in an open enclosure of tiles and cement. Milk, cooked rice, and bananas formed the regular diet w...

The amphibian diversity in different vegetation communities was investigated in Meru National Park (Kenya), using transect sampling, drift-fences, pitfalls and opportunistic collection. Acacia wooded grassland had highest amphibian diversity (H' = 2.071, D = 6.74), Acacia-Commiphora bushland ranked second (H' = 1.858, D = 5.88) and Combretum wooded...

Movement pattern, home range and reproduction of rodent pests were studied in agricultural and moorland habitats in Maynugus, Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. Trapping was carried out during different phases of agriculture. Eighty-five percent of the resident individuals of both Mastomys erythroleucus and Arvicanthis dembeensis was recorded on g...

A study on the distribution and abundance of rodents was carried out in three live trapping grids in wheat, bean and lentil fields in Alleltu Woreda, Ethiopia. A survey was also conducted in habitats outside the cul tivated fields. A total of 260 rodents were trapped from the cultivated fields during 3087 trap-nights and 61 from outside cultivated...

The diversity and abundance of amphibians were investigated in Meru National Park, Kenya, using transect sampling, drift-fence and pitfall trapping and opportunistic collecting. A total of 430 individuals under seven genera (Amietophrynus, Hemisus, Hyperolius, Phrynobatrachus, Phrynomantis, Ptychadena, Xenopus) comprising eleven species were sample...

Socio-economic and physical surveys were conducted in eight Guji Oromo settlements in Nechisar plains, Nechisar National Park (NNP), southern Ethiopia during November 2001-April 2002 to assess human impact on the population of the plains zebra Equus quagga. Data collected since 1970 were also examined to indicate trends of human, livestock and plai...

An ecological study on the choice of microhabitat and diet of small mammals was carried out in Maynugus irrigation field of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. Abundance of rodents was high during the reproductive phase of the agricultural plants. Mastomys erythroleucus occurred more frequently in vegetable fields, whereas Arvicanthis dembeensi...

An ecological study on population structure of rodents was carried out in Maynugus, Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. Live trapping in three agricultural grids (each 70×70 m) and one moorland grid of the same size revealed the presence of Mastomys erythrokucus (67.3%), Arvicanthis dembeensis (23.0%) and Mus mahomet (9.3%). Mastomys erythroleucus...

Previous studies have shown that sloth bears are mainly myrmecophagous, but in this study, 39 and 83 percent (wet and dry season, respectively) of scats surveyed in South India contained fruits. Seeds from three of six plant species collected from scats germinated faster than seeds not passing through bears; germination percentage was not higher in...

A comparative study of the diversity of plants, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals in an Acacia auriculiformis-introduced habitat and a mixed vegetation was made. Vegetation, amphibians and reptiles were sampled using quadrat method while butterflies, birds and mammals were sampled using line transect method. A total of 181 specie...

Animal diversity in the catchment and impact areas of the proposed Adirapally hydro-electric project in Kerala was studied during September to December, 1996. The area has southern moist deciduous forests, riparian forests, grasslands, bamboo and reed brakes, marsh and fallow lands and plantations of Tectona grandis and Bombax ceiba. During the stu...

The modified skin gland of Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica) located at the perineal region has been studied for its ultrastructure. The 'civet gland' found in both the sexes secrete the prized item 'civet' which has a wide use in indigenous medicines and oriental perfumes. In this preliminary study of the gland, holocrine mode of secretion i...